Woody Bergia is an aromatic perennial undershrub,
woody at base, prostrate or spreading, glandular-velvet-hairy. Flowers
are borne in leaf-axils, solitary or loose fasciculate cyme of 2-8
flowers. Flowers are white to pinkish, usually 5-merous, 4-5 mm across,
flower-stalk 1-5.5 mm long, glandular velvet-hairy. Sepals are 5, free,
ovate, 2.5-4 mm long, pointed or distinctly tapering, velvet-hairy,
keeled. Petals are 5, free, obovate-oblong, equal to or slightly longer
than the sepals, 3-4 mm long, blunt, entire, white to pinkish,
transparent. Stamens are 10, equal or alternately long or short The
older stems are hairless with deciduous papery bark. Branches are
numerous, opposite, stiff. Leaves are opposite or often pseudo-whorled,
stalkless or nearly so, obovate-oblong to inverted-lanceshaped or
elliptic, 3-30 mm long, 2-10 mm broad, pointed to blunt, rounded
toothed or minutely sawtoothed, often curled, densely velvet-hairy.
Capsules are whitish pink, ovoid, 5-locular. Seeds are numerous,
minute, shining, oblong-ellipsoid, dark brown to black. Woody Bergia is
found in W. Pakistan, Western India, Iran, Arabia, Egypt, Sudan,
Senegal, Mauritiana, Kenya. Flowering: August-April.
Medicinal uses: The leaves are used as
poultice on sores and broken bones.