English: Chinese violet; Coromandel; Creeping foxglove.
Clades: Acanthaceae.
Region: Old World Tropics, Asia and Africa; introduced into tropical Americas, Hawaii, Australia.
Habitat: tropical and subtropical; open grasslands, gardens, disturbed areas.
Content: alkaloids; flavonoids; triterpenoids; glycosides; saponins; vitamins, A and C; minerals, calcium, iron; essential oils; amino acids.
Use: leaves as a vegetable; herbal remedy, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine; ornamental.

Botany
Herb; perennial; spreading, groundcover; 30 to 90 cm tall, up to 1 m if supported.
Roots: fibrous root system.
Stems: uprigh; with multiple stems branching; root easily at the nodes.
Leaves: distinguishing!; simple; opposite; elliptical to lance-shaped; dark green; slightly toothed margin.
Inflorescence: clusters at the leaf axils.
Flower: various colors, shades of blue, purple, white; tubular; with contrasting markings,
Fruit: explosive capsule; green, brown after opening.
Reproduction: viable seed in as little as 72 days.
Pollination: by honeybees, butterflies, other insects.
Seeds: expelled explosively upon ripening via hooked retinacula; no apparent dormancy mechanisms.