It is a woody-based perennial with long, slender stems with fleshy leaves and small pink flowers.

It grows throughout Egypt, Sahara Desert, Sudan, Eritrea, Zaire, Malawi, and the Arabian Peninsula.

[1] Boerhavia boissieri prefers rocky, open and dry habitats.

The new tender growing shoots were often picked and chewed- they were said to have a sour, astringent flavour.

[2] "Boissieri" commemorates Pierre Edmond Boissier, a distinguished Swiss botanist who wrote Flora Orientalis, the first comprehensive book covering the plants of the Middle East.