Boerhavia

/bɔrˈheɪviə/ noun

Definition

A genus of tropical climbing plants with small pink or white flowers and sticky seeds that cling to animals and clothing.

Etymology

Named after Hermann Boerhaave, an 18th-century Dutch botanist and physician. The Latinized form follows scientific naming conventions for plant genera.

Kelly Says

These plants are evolutionary geniuses—their sticky seeds evolved to stick to animal fur for miles, which is why you find them on every continent now, all descended from a few seed-hitchhikers.

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