Botany
Botete is an annual, hairy, strongly-scented herb with erect stems, growing to a height of 1.5 meters, simple or branched. Leaves are alternate, palmately compound with 5- to 7-foliate, on petioles longer than the leaflets, commonly with stipular spines. Leaflets are entire, elliptic to obovate or rarely oblanceolate, 2 to 10 centimeters long, and pointed at both ends. Racemes are 10 to 30 centimeters long. Sepals are linear-lanceolate and 5 to 10 millimeters long. Petals are clawed, purple or rarely white, oval or rounded, 2.5 to 3.5 centimeters long. Fruit is a narrow capsule, 6 to 10 centimeters long, with pale and finely reticulated seeds.

Distribution
- Originally Introduced in Baguio as an ornamental, now thoroughly naturalized.
- Wild and abundant along streams in Baguio.
- Used for bedding in gardens.

Constituents
- Oil of grains rich in glucosinolates.
- Yields flavone, flindulatin, and five novel diterpene cembranes, called cleospinol A, B, C, D and the 3'-hydroxy-isopentan-10-oate ester of cleospinol A.

Properties
Stomachic and antivulnerary.

Parts utilized
Leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
Bruised leaves applied to the head for headaches.
Plant is a stomachic; in Brazil, used as an antivulnerary.
Oil of grains used for earaches.

Studies
• Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Compositions / Hair Growth: (1) Patent application made for Cleome spinosa extract use in pharmaceutical preparation and cosmetic composition. (2) Invention uses a Cleome spinosa extract as an active ingredient for extending the growth of hair follicles.


Availability
Wildcrafted.