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Boerhavia diffusa
  • Tar Vine

a perennial member of the Boerhavia genus in the family Nyctaginaceae.

248px
Niche
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The ecosystem niches for this plant are unknown. Do you know them? Click the edit button to add them!
Functions
  • None
    None
    There are no functions defined for this plant. Do you know of some? Click the edit button to add them!
Light
  • Full sun
    Full sun
    The amount of sun exposure that a plant prefers in ideal conditions.
    Key
  • no shade
    No shade
    The amount of shade a plant will tolerate without adverse health affects.
    Key
Water
  • Water Requirementsmoderate
    Moderate
    The amount of water a plant needs for healthy growth, relative to other plants.
    Key
Soil
  • acid,neutral,alkaline
    Acid to Alkaline
    The PH range (acidity or alkilinity) of the growth medium ideal for healthy nutrient absorbtion.
    Key
  • Sandy to Loamy
    The soil texture this plant prefers for optimal growth.
    Key
Cold & Heat
  • ?
    Unknown
    The USDA Hardiness scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the minimum temperature a plant can survive.
    Key
    0< -53.9ºC< -65ºF
    1-51.1ºC-60ºF
    2-45.6ºC-50F
    3-40ºC-40ºF
    4-34.4ºC-30ºF
    5-28.9ºC-20ºF
    6-23.3ºC-10ºF
    7-17.8ºC0ºF
    8-12.2C10ºF
    9-6.7ºC20ºF
    10-1.1ºC30ºF
    114.4ºC40ºF
    12> 10ºC> 5ºF
  • ?
    Unknown
    The AHS Heat scale assigns plants a number from 1 to 12 representing the number of days per year a plant requires a temperature exceeding 30ºC (86ºF).
    Key
    11
    21 - 7
    38 - 14
    415 - 30
    531 - 45
    646 - 60
    761 - 90
    891 - 120
    9121 - 150
    10151 - 180
    11181 - 210
    12181 - 210
Boerhavia diffusa has 0 edible uses listed
Boerhavia diffusa has 0 medicinal uses listed

Uses

Edible uses

Notes

Tender young leaves and shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[1][2][3][4].

Root - baked[1][2][3]. Rich in carbohydrate and protein, though the flavour is bland and the texture sometimes woody[5].

Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a powder and added to cereals when making bread, cakes etc[3].

Leaves

Unknown use

Root

Unknown use

Seed

Unknown use

Material uses

There are no material uses listed for Boerhavia diffusa.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

The roots are diuretic, emetic, expectorant, laxative and stomachic[6][7][8]. They are used in the treatment of asthma, oedema, anaemia, jaundice, ascites, anasarca, scanty urine and internal inflammation. They are also said to be an antidote to snake poisoning[7][8]. An alkaloid in the roots has been shown experimentally to produce a distinct and persistent rise in blood pressure plus marked diuresis[7].

Unknown part

Antidote
Diuretic
Emetic
Expectorant
Laxative
Stomachic

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Nothing listed.

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Boerhavia diffusa. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.



Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of this country. It is hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[9] but this cannot be translated directly to the British climate because our summers are cooler and our winters longer, colder and wetter. If the plant is capable of surviving our winters it is likely to need a sheltered very sunny position in a well-drained soil. Most if not all members of this genus have the same edible uses[5].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Boerhavia diffusa. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Boerhavia diffusa.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

Taxonomy
Binomial name
Boerhavia diffusa
Genus
Boerhavia
Family
Nyctaginaceae
Imported References
Edible uses
[1][2][3][4][5]
Medicinal uses
[6][7][8]
Material uses & Functions
Botanic
[2][10]
Propagation
Cultivation
Environment
Cultivation
Uses
Edible uses
None listed.
Material uses
None listed.
Medicinal uses
None listed.
Functions & Nature
Functions
Provides forage for
Provides shelter for
Environment
Hardiness Zone
?
Heat Zone
?
Water
moderate
Sun
full sun
Shade
no shade
Soil PH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Soil Texture
sandy, loamy
Soil Water Retention
well drained
Environmental Tolerances
  • Drought
Ecosystems
Native Climate Zones
None listed.
Adapted Climate Zones
None listed.
Native Geographical Range
None listed.
Native Environment
None listed.
Ecosystem Niche
None listed.
Root Zone Tendancy
None listed.
Life
Deciduous or Evergreen
?
Herbaceous or Woody
?
Life Cycle
perennial
Growth Rate
?
Mature Size
0.1 x 0.5 meters
Fertility
?
Pollinators
?
Flower Colour
?
Flower Type
hermaphrodite

"image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

"image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.


"image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.


"image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki., "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. "image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki."image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.






References

  1. ? 1.01.11.2 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)
  2. ? 2.02.12.22.3 Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria. ()
  3. ? 3.03.13.23.3 Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)
  4. ? 4.04.1 Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-527-6 (2002-00-00)
  5. ? 5.05.15.2 Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0-207-14383-8 (1989-00-00)
  6. ? 6.06.1 Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants. ()
  7. ? 7.07.17.27.3 Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. (1986-00-00)
  8. ? 8.08.18.2 Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. (1993-00-00)
  9. ? Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 (1988-00-00)
  10. ? [Flora of China] (1994-00-00)

"image:Boerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

Retrieved from "https://practicalplants.org/w/index.php?title=Boerhavia_diffusa&oldid=75637"
Facts about "Boerhavia diffusa"RDF feed
Article is incompleteYes +
Article requires citationsNo +
Article requires cleanupYes +
Belongs to familyNyctaginaceae +
Belongs to genusBoerhavia +
Has binomial nameBoerhavia diffusa +
Has common nameTar Vine +
Has drought toleranceTolerant +
Has edible partLeaves +, Root + and Seed +
Has edible useUnknown use +
Has environmental toleranceDrought +
Has flowers of typeHermaphrodite +
Has imageBoerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg +
Has lifecycle typePerennial +
Has mature height0.1 +
Has mature width0.5 +
Has medicinal partUnknown part +
Has medicinal useAntidote +, Diuretic +, Emetic +, Expectorant +, Laxative + and Stomachic +
Has primary imageBoerhaavia diffusa Blanco1.93-cropped.jpg +
Has search nameboerhavia diffusa + and tar vine +
Has shade toleranceNo shade +
Has soil ph preferenceAcid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
Has soil texture preferenceSandy + and Loamy +
Has soil water retention preferenceWell drained +
Has sun preferenceFull sun +
Has taxonomic rankSpecies +
Has taxonomy nameBoerhavia diffusa +
Has water requirementsmoderate +
Is taxonomy typeSpecies +
PFAF cultivation notes migratedNo +
PFAF edible use notes migratedNo +
PFAF material use notes migratedYes +
PFAF medicinal use notes migratedNo +
PFAF propagation notes migratedNo +
PFAF toxicity notes migratedYes +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soilNo +
Uses mature size measurement unitMeters +
Has subobjectThis property is a special property in this wiki.Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa +, Boerhavia diffusa + and Boerhavia diffusa +