Asystasia gangetica

Botanical Description

Coromandel is a perennial plant with weak stems 1 metre or more long which sprawl along the ground unless they find something to support them. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes sold in local markets during the rainy season[ 617 Title Traditional Vegetables in Benin Publication Author Achigan-Dako E. Et al Publisher Darwin Initiative; International Foundation for Science Year 2009 ISBN Description Issued as a PDF on the Internet, it contains basic information on over 250 species of plants used for food in Benin. ]. It is often cultivated as an ornamental and ground cover plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It is very tolerant of cutting and can be grown in a lawn, so long as there is not too much traffic on it[ 302 Title Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide Publication Author Whistler. W. Arthur. Publisher Timber Press Inc. Oregon. Year 2000 ISBN 0-88192-448-2 Description An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses. ].