Asian spiderflower (Cleome viscosa)

Asian spiderflower (Cleome viscosa) is a species of plant in the Cleomaceae, an annual herbaceous plant, up to 1 meter high, thick and hairy stems, cylindrical in shape, widely grown in warm and humid habitats.

C. viscosa has leaves with long petioles 1.5-4.5 cm and glandular hairs. The leaf blade is three-fingered, ovate to oblanceolate-elliptic, 2-6 cm long, 0.5-3.5 cm wide, green and hairy.

Yellow flowers with four crowns. The capsule is dehiscing only partially from apex to base, 30-100 mm long, 2-4 mm wide and glandular haired. Seeds are light brown, 1.2-1.8 × 1-1.2 mm and finely serrated transversely.

Crushed leaves are used to prevent beetle attacks. The leaves are used externally for wounds and ulcers. The juice of the leaves is used as a medicine to remove pus from the ear. The seeds are anthelmintic and carminative.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Family: Cleomaceae
Genus: Cleome
Species: Cleome viscosa

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