Originates from Central America and is distributed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. It is now widespread in subtropical and tropical regions. This plant is often used as an ornamental plant due to the beauty of its flowers, and it also has benefits as a medicinal plant.

Grows at altitudes up to 3,500 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) with an optimum temperature of 14–28 °C annually. The plant is commonly found in moist areas such as riverbanks, as well as in open fields, abandoned lands, and roadsides.

• Root: Taproot and branched.

• Stem: Branched and slender.

• Leaves: Covered with short hairs on the leaf surface, simple (single), opposite arrangement, has a stalk (petiole) 5–10 mm long, oval shape resembling a heart (cordate-oval), measuring 3–8 cm x 1.5–5 cm. There are 3–4 vascular bundles on both sides of the leaf.

• Flower: Dense, grows at the tip of the stem and some in the bud axils, has 6–9 white petals (corolla lobes), 7–9 sepals (calyx lobes), and does not emit a fragrance.

• Propagation: Vegetatively (stem cuttings).

• Cuttings Method: Cuttings are made by cutting the branch just below the node with a length of about 15 cm. Existing leaves are cleaned, then dipped into a rooting stimulant. The cutting material is then planted in sandy soil in a plastic bag to maintain moisture.

• Treats headaches, enteritis (inflammation of the intestine), external wounds, remedies for toothaches and mouth ulcers (canker sores), poisoning, lowers fever, treats rheumatic pain, and allergic itching.

• Alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, emodin, leucoanthocyanin, steroids, anthocyanin, phlobatin, saponins.