More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Flowers of Zihuatanejo
Scarlet Spiderling
Boerhavia coccinea
Flowers by Colour
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Pinks, Cactuses, and Allies (Order Caryophyllales)
-Four o'Clock Family (Family Nyctaginaceae)
-Spiderlings (Genus Boerhavia)
-Scarlet Spiderling (Boerhavia coccinea)
Scarlet spiderling (Boerhavia coccinea) is an herbaceous perennial trailing plant that will grow to 91 cm long. Stems are fuzzy and foliage is sticky, forming large spreading mats along the ground. Blooms from spring to fall with small clusters of tiny, frilly pink flowers that grow on a round flower head. It attracts butterflies and caterpillars. In Mexico and South America (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay), B. coccinea is used in traditional medicine to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, headaches, fever, liver disease and syphilis, and as a diuretic.
Description
• Boerhavia coccinea, commonly known as scarlet spiderling or red spiderling, is a spreading or sprawling perennial herb in the four-o’clock family (Nyctaginaceae). It has branching stems, often reddish in colour, and opposite, oval to broadly lance-shaped leaves. Its tiny flowers grow in loose clusters and are usually pink, reddish, or magenta. The plant produces small, sticky or glandular fruits that can attach to animals and help disperse its seeds.
Range
• Boerhavia coccinea occurs widely in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas and is naturalized in many other warm regions worldwide. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• This adaptable plant grows in sunny, open habitats, including roadsides, coastal scrub, grasslands, disturbed ground, and the edges of fields and paths. It tolerates heat and dry conditions and commonly grows in sandy or rocky soils, particularly in areas with seasonal rainfall.