C.C. Townsend. 1993. Flora of Somalila 1:140-167

Plants dioecious, frequently suffruticous or growing in erect clumps, 30-150 cm tall, branched from near the base; stems simple ir with long ascending branches, more or less densely whitishor yellowish tometose or pannose, the indumentum, when very dense, often appearing tufted. Leaves alternate, sessile or shortly petiolate; blades varying from linear to more or less ound, equally variable in size, more or less densely white or yellowsh pannose, lower surfaces usually more thinly so and greener than the upper, margins flat or more or less involute, when strongly involute the leaves frequently more or less falcatedly recurved. Inflorescence branches white to creamy-pink, cylindrical, dense; pistillate inflorescences varying from stout and about 10 cm long and 1 cm wide to slender and with lateral globose clusters of flowers; staminate inflorescences always with slender branches. Pistillate flowers: outer tepals 2-3 mm long, oblong-obovate to obovate spathulate, lanate, with yellowsh midribs terminatin well below the tips; inner 3 tepals slightly shorter, elliptic-oblong, more or less densely lanate, acute, the narrow green vittae extending about 13 their length; stamens very reduced, without anthers; styles slender, at least equalled by the filiform stigmas. Staminate flowers smaller, the outer tepals 1.5-2.25 mm long; filaments delicate; anthers more or less equalling the perianth; ovaries small; styles very short with rudimentary stigmas. Capsules 1-1.5 mm long, round, compressed. 

Aerva javanica grows in a wide range of habitats, including coastal dunes and raised coral reefs through scrub, bush, woodlands, dry rasslands, and plains to Juniperus forests at elevations of 0-1630 m. It grows in all the regions of Somaliland and Somalia used in the Flora of Somalia and in Djibouti. It is widespread in the drier parts of the topics and subtropics of the Old World from Morocco south to Cameroun, across the drier regions of Africa south to Madagascar and in Asia afrom Palestine and Arabia to Burma. It is also adventive in Australia and elssewhere.  

©Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; reproduced with permission.

 

Awale & Jama (2018). Hordhaca dhirta badhtamaha Soomaalilaand.

Gu’yaal jire geed hoosaad ah, taagan oo isku siman, oo xagga hoose laamo ku leh, jirridiisana ay dabooleen gas caddaan ahi. Caleemo talantaalli ah, cagaar khafiifa ah, sida ugxanta ah, oo hareeraha ka siman ama in yar qaabka mawjadda ah. Ubax leh qodxaan caddaan ah, oo si dhaw u raacsan jirridda. Midho yaryar oo ku dhex jira dahaadh wareegsan.

Sabo: Durdurka biyo-kulule ee u dhaw Berbera, meelaha xeebaha ah, iyo dhul dhireedka furan, joog ah illaa 500 m.

FIliqsanaanta: Meelaha qallalan ee kulaalayaasha dunida qadiimka ah.

H. Pickering & A.I. Awale (2018) Introduction to the plants of Central Somaliland

Habit: perennial herbs, to 1m tall, often becoming woody at the base.

Leaves: alternate lanceolate, smooth-edged, densely hairy,

Inflorescences numerous, spikelike branches, appearing densly hairy because of the densely packed, small white flowers.

Flowers 1-3 mm long, white, densely hairy.

Fruits 1-1.5 mm in diameter, compressed.