About Glinus lotoides L.
Glinus lotoides L. is an annual herb that grows either prostrate or somewhat upright. Its stems reach up to around 30 to 35 centimeters long, and are covered in felt-like whitish hairs. Oval or spade-shaped leaves grow in whorls around the stem, each ranging from a few millimeters to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a tight cluster holding five to ten small flowers. Each flower has five woolly sepals and no petals. It produces an oval capsule fruit roughly four millimeters long. This species grows on seasonally inundated land across its large native range. It has many traditional uses as both medicine and food in cultures throughout this range. Young leaves and stems of Glinus lotoides are eaten as a vegetable in some tropical countries.
