中文名（Chinese Name）：孩儿草
学名（Scientific Name）：Rungia pectinata (Linn.) Nees
英文名（English Common Name）：
别名（Chinese Common Name）：节节红
异名（Synonym）：Justicia pectinata L.  Rungia parviflora Hemsl.  Rungia parviflora var. pectinata (L.) C. B. Clarke  Rungia parviflora subsp. pectinata (L.) Crainer  
科属（Family & Genus）：爵床科（Acanthaceae）孩儿草属
形态特征（Description）：一年生纤细草本；枝圆柱状，干时黄色，无毛。叶薄纸质，下部的叶长卵形，长可达6厘米，通常4厘米左右，顶端钝，基部渐狭或有时近急尖，两面被紧贴疏柔毛；侧脉每边5条，常不甚明显；叶柄长3-4毫米或过之。穗状花序密花，顶生和腋生，长1-3厘米；苞片4列，仅2列有花，有花的苞片近圆形或阔卵形，长约4毫米，背面被长柔毛，膜质边缘宽约0.5毫米，被缘毛，无花的苞片长圆状披针形，长约6.5毫米，顶端具硬尖头，一侧或有时二侧均有狭窄的膜质边缘和缘毛；小苞片稍小；花萼裂片线形，等大，长约3毫米；花冠淡蓝色或白色，长约5毫米，除下唇外无毛，上唇顶端骤然收狭，下唇裂片近三角形。蒴果长约3毫米，无毛。花期早春。
分布（Distribution）：产广东、海南、广西、云南。生于草地上，为一常见的野生杂草。印度、斯里兰卡、泰国、中南半岛也有分布。
用途（Use）：据《广州植物志》载：取全草煎服，有去积、除滞、清火之效。
引自中国植物志英文版FOC Vol. 19 Page 443, 445
Rungia pectinata (Linnaeus) Nees in A. Candolle, Prodr. 11: 470. 1847.
孩儿草 hai er cao | Acanthaceae  | Rungia
Justicia pectinata Linnaeus, Amoen. Acad. 4: 299. 1760; Rungia parviflora Nees subsp. pectinata (Linnaeus) L. H. Cramer; R. parviflora var. pectinata (Linnaeus) C. B. Clarke; R. pectinata var. clarkeana Handel-Mazzetti.
Herbs 20-50 cm tall, annual or perennial. Stem basally prostrate and rooting at nodes then erect, minutely pubescent. Petiole 0-7 mm; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, 1-4 × 0.4-1.4 cm, glabrous except for a few trichomes along veins, secondary veins ca. 4 on each side of midvein, base cuneate and decurrent onto petiole, margin entire, apex acute. Spikes axillary or terminal, 0.5-2 cm, 1-sided, solitary or sometimes 2 or 3 compound; bracts dimorphic; sterile bracts green, elliptic, ca. 4 × 0.7 mm, glabrous, apex acute; fertile bracts circular to obovate, 4-5 × ca. 2 mm, pubescent, margin broadly hyaline, apex obtuse to rounded to emarginate and mucronulate; bracteoles elliptic, 2-3 mm, margin ciliate, apex 2-cleft and subacute. Calyx colorless, pubescent; lobes linear-lanceolate, ca. 3 × 0.5 mm, margin narrowly hyaline, apex mucronulate. Corolla blue or white, ca. 5 mm, outside pubescent; lower lip 3-lobed, lobes triangular; upper lip ovate, 1-2 mm, apex emarginate. Staminal filaments glabrous. Ovary glabrous. Capsule ellipsoid, ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous, 2-4-seeded, apex apiculate. Seeds orbicular in outline, ca. 1 mm in diam., minutely verrucose. Fl. Nov-Jan, fr. Jan-Apr. 2n = 26, 52.
Wastelands. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].
Rungia pectinata is a common weed in disturbed habitats.
This species is used medicinally.
（责任编辑：徐晔春）