Cleome scaposa DC.

Cleome species are annual or perennial herbs. Stem simple or sparsely branched, glabrous or grandular pubescent, foetid or sometimes with scattered prickly appendages. Leaves simple, spiral or digitately 3-13 foliate, lanceolate to oblanceolate, margin entire or serrate, lower leaves petiolate, upper ones subsessile to sessile, stipules scalelike, caducous or absent. Inflorescence racemes, solitary to many flowered, terminal or axillary. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic or rarely actinomorphic, pedicellate, bracts membranous or leaflike, caducous or persistent, sepals 4, equal, valvate, free or slightly fused at the base, subtending nectary glands at the base, pubescent, petals 4, equal or unequal, usually clawed at base, longer than the sepals. Stamens 4-6, filament inserted on a discoid, declinate, glabrous, anthers linear oblong. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, sessile or on short gynophore, unilocular, ovules many on parietal 2 placentae, style short or absent, stigma capitate. Fruit capsule, dehiscent, linear oblong, with persistent seed bearing replum. Seeds 4-40, orbicular or reniform, cleft fused between 2 ends, surface smooth, reticulate or warty, embryo straight.

Cleome species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: August-December.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual herbs, strongly aromatic, about 10-60 cm tall. Stem erect, base woody, usually much branched, glandular or eglandular pubescent with setose scabrous hairs, branches slender, usually branched from the base. Leaves simple, broadly ovate-suborbicular, about 12-30 x 5-25 mm across, base cordate or rounded, margin ciliate, entire, apex retuse or rounded, green pubescent above, paler pubescent beneath, mibrib impressed above, slightly prominent beneath, lateral veins 2-4 on either side of the midrib, petiole pubescent, gradually shorter towards the shoot, subsessile to 20 mm long. Inflorescence racemes, slender, many flowered, lax and elongated in fruit, about 4-15 cm long. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, yellow, cream white to pinkish, about 3-4 mm across, bracteate at the lower flowers and ebracteate above, bracts foliaceous, pedicel filiform, slender, about 1-4 mm long, up to 8 mm long in fruits, sepals 4, equal, lanceolate-elliptic, valvate, free or slightly fused at the base, apex subacute, scabrous, glandular pubescent outside, about 1.5-2 mm across, petals 4, obovate-oblong, glabrous, about 2-3.5 x 1-1.5 mm across. Stamens 6, filament inserted on a discoid, glabrous, about 2 mm long, anthers ovoid. Ovary superior, bicarpellary, sessile, unilocular, about 2-2.5 x 0.5 mm across, stigma capitate. Fruit capsule, dehiscent, linear, about 20-30 x 1-1.2 mm across, glabrous or grandular, with persistent seed bearing replum. Seeds 15-25, orbicular or reniform, about 0.5-0.7 mm across, granulate, cleft fused between 2 ends, brownish black.

Cleome species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Rocks and plains

Arid and semiarid tracts along rivers, rocky slopes and sandy dunes, altitude up to 800 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in traditional medicine for the treating of pain and inflammation. Lab studies have shown, this species is analgesic, antiemetic and anti-inflammatory.