Spider Flower: African Spiderflower
(Cleome gynandra)

Spider flower (Cleome gynandra) is an erect annual, growing up to 150 cm in height and anchored with a long tap root. Its many branches produce compound leaves (with three to seven leaflets per leaf) and long clusters of white, pink, or purple flowers. The seeds are contained in slender, green pods that ripen to a yellow color and release the seeds when dry. Spider flower’s use of the highly efficient four-carbon (C4) mechanism for photosynthesis makes it resilient to diverse growing conditions. It is indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and is found in many tropical and subtropical regions.