A recent study in the family Linderniaceae - Fischer E.; Schäferhoff B. & Müller K.: The Phylogeny of Linderniaceae - The New Genus Linderniella, and new combinations within Bonnaya, Craterostigma, Lindernia, Micranthemum, Torenia and Vandellia. Willdenowia 43: 209 - 238. December 2013. ISSN 0511-9618 - has proposed moving several genera from Scrophulariaceae into Lindernia; resurrecting the genera Bonnaya and Vandellia from within Lindernia; and describes a new genus Linderniella. These changes have not yet been accepted - if they do then this species will become Torenia crustacea (L.) Cham. & Schltdl.

Common Name:

General Information

Lindernia crustacea is an erect annual to short-lived perennial plant growing 10 - 20cm tall. The stem is much branched, the branches widely spreading[].
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine - it is one of the commonest plants in Chinese pharmacies in Indonesia and Malaysia[].
The species has a very wide distribution. It occurs in a wide range of wetland and some non-wetland habitats and is able to exploit anthropogenic habitats such as rice fields It is therefore unlikely to become extinct in the short term. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Widely distributed through tropical and subtropical regions of the world from Africa through Asia to Australia and the Pacific.

Habitat

Moist, open grassy localities, rice fields, sugar-cane fields, trailsides, river beds, ditches and disturbed soils; from sea-level up to 1,500 metres, occasionally to 3,000 metres[, ].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is sometimes a weed of cultivation[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is considered to have emetic and cathartic properties[]. It has given good results in treating bilious disorders, dysentery, amenorrhoea, and hepatitis. The powdered herb, mixed with rice water, is drunk to relieve diarrhoea, vomiting and cholera[]. A decoction of the leaves is given as a medicine after childbirth[, ]. An infusion is used to diminish leakage of albuminuria and to treat leprosy[]. A decoction is drunk as a tea for its febrifuge effect[].
The leaf decoction is applied topically to boils and itches, herpes-like sores, and to sores caused by forest ticks[, ]. The juice of the aerial parts of the plant, mixed with turmeric (Curcuma longa) and heated with a little water, is applied topically to treat infected fingernails[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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