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Waltheria indica
Malvaceae FAMILY

Waltheria indica

Waltheria indica

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Succeeds in a wide range of soils. The plant is a ubiquitous weed and early colonizer in disturbed ground, tolerant of a wide spectrum of habitats and elevations[1]. It is considered to be invasive in many areas[2]. The plant can flower and produce fruit all year round[1].10] Whereas Waltheria indica plants from Central America are homostylous, plants in India are reported as heterostylous[3.

Propagation

Seed - the fruit is a small, round, dry capsule containing one seed. Collect the tiny capsules when they are mature, but before they have turned completely brown. Dry them in a paper container for about a week and sift the resulting material though a strainer to separate the seeds. Sow the seeds on the surface of a planting mix; gently firm the seeds into the soil; place them in a shaded area and keep the mix damp until germination, although be careful to avoid excessive moisture. Germination takes 1 to 3 months[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Waltheria+indica>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  2. [2]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  3. [3]Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database — http://pdcs.ctahr.hawaii.edu:591/hawnprop/ ↩︎Detailed information on the propagation of a wide range of Hawaiian plants.
  4. [4]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  5. [5]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region