Heliotropium indicum aka Turnsole

Heliotropium indicum has the common name Indian heliotrope. It belongs to Boraginaceae, the borage family. Its home is South America, from Peru to Brazil and northern Argentina. It is also native to Bolivia and Paraguay. It now grows across much of the tropics and subtropics. Outside its home range, it has become naturalized. This means it grows there on its own. Kew places it in the tropical zone with a dry season.

The plant grows upright and forms many branches. It can reach 4.9 feet [1.5 metres] tall. Useful Tropical Plants also gives a height of 3.3 feet [1 metre]. It may live for one year or several years. Kew calls it an annual or subshrub, a small, partly woody plant. The lower stems often turn woody, and the plant stays branched. The sources give no height range just for garden plants. They give no width for a full-grown plant.

Indian heliotrope grows in sunny spots, waste ground and disturbed sites. It also grows in pools and ditches that dry at times. Most records place it below 2,625 feet [800 metres]. Farmers see it as a weed in fields and pastures. Its spread far beyond South America helps explain this weed status. The evidence gives no frost limits or garden watering plan. Where it grows does not prove how much water garden plants need.

Plants can bloom at any time of year. Insects pollinate the flowers, and growers can grow plants from seed. The account gives no flower colour or fruit shape. It gives no leaf shape or scent details for this species. The recorded uses focus on local harvest, not planting for looks. People gather wild plants for use in folk medicine. They use them for skin problems, inflammation and rheumatic pain. Across tropical Africa, the parts used and ways to prepare them vary. People also use fibre left when the soft plant parts rot. They make false hair from this fibre.

People sometimes eat the leaves as a vegetable. This use comes with a safety warning. The plant has several pyrrolizidine alkaloids, including indicine and heliotrine. Eating it often or in large amounts can harm the liver. This damage can build up over time. Past use as food or medicine does not mean it is safe. The source itself questions whether people should eat the leaves.