A spreading, much-branched, tangled, thicket-forming, perennial shrub, up to 3 m tall, scrambling up to 7 m. Stem profusely branched, herbaceous when young, tough and semi-woody when older, cylindrical, finely striate, yellowish, shortly hairy or nearly glabrous; branches slightly ridged longitudinally, pubescent. Leaves simple, opposite; petiole 1—3 cm long or more, glabrous or sparingly pubescent; blade ovate-triangular, conspicuously 3(—5)-veined, 5—14 cm x 2—8 cm, acuminate, margins toothed, dotted with glands, sparsely hispid-hairy to glabrous, often purple when young. Inflorescence a homogamous, 10—35-flowered head, arranged in corymbose clusters arising from the axils of upper leaves; peduncle 1—2 cm long; involucre cylindrical, 8—10 mm x 3—4 mm, bracts in 5 or 6 rows, closely overlapping, oblong, increasing in size upwards, up to 10 mm x 3 mm, straw-coloured to greenish; corolla tubular, 5 mm long, 5-lobed, pale mauve, pale blue or whitish, protruding from the involucre; stigma with a long, exserted arm. Fruit a narrow achene, linear, angular, 3—5 mm long, brown or black, with short, white, stiff hairs along the edges; pappus white, consisting of rough bristles, 4—5 mm long. Seeds are minute.

Antiinflammatory (plant)

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used for intestinal pains, colds and cough, for healing wounds, to stop bleeding, against malaria, smallpox and yellow fever.