''Dissotis rotundifolia'', commonly called pink lady, Spanish Shawl, or rockrose, is a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

in the family Melastomataceae that occurs in tropical Africa.

Description

Flower of Dissotis rotundifolia in Kerala

''Dissotis rotundifolia'' can grow in a variety of ways, from straight up and erect to lying flat and

prostrate Prostrate may refer to:- *Prostration, a position of submission in religion etc. *Prone position, a face-down orientation of the body *Prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ...

to decumbent, meaning the branches lie flat on the ground but turn up at the ends. When the

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

s trail, they root where the leaf connects to the stem, called the "node". The stems are woody on lower parts of the plant and become hirsute, meaning hairy, towards the top of the plant. The branches tend to spread wide, and range from pink to a dark reddish in color. The leaves are oval shaped and three-ribbed, being long and wide. They are covered with short, appressed hairs on both sides. The stalks of the leaves are as long as , pilose, and pink. The flowers of ''Dissotis rotundifolia'' are solitary, and the stalks of the flowers, like the leaves, are covered with tiny appressed hairs. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s of the flower are in length and range from pink to a pale purple in color.Alain H. Liogier (1982) ''Descriptive Flora of Puerto Rico and Adjacent Islands''

Habitat and ecology

''Dissotis rotundifolia'' is native to Africa, occurring naturally in central and western Africa from Sierra Leone to Zaire. It has been introduced as a ground cover and ornamental plant to other tropical areas such as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Malaysia, and the West Indies,Johannes Seidemann (2005) ''World Spice Plants: Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy'' and has become naturalised in some topical parts of Australia. The shrub can grow anywhere in altitude from sea level to about above sea level.

Uses

The leaves of ''Dissotis rotundifolia'' are used as a spice for sauces and as a potherb. In Liberia, the plant is used as a diuretic.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15390985 Melastomataceae Shrubs