Family
– Acanthaceae
Synonym
– Dianthera paniculata Forssk.; Peristrophe paniculata (Forssk.) Brummitt
Vernacular
names – Kattupuzhukkolli
Habit
– Herb
Habitat
– Deciduous forests and waste lands
Distribution
– India, Myanmar and Tropical Africa
Flowering
and Fruiting – December-February
Key Identification Features –This
plant is an erect herb with a 6-angular stem covered in fine hairs. Its leaves
are simple, opposite, and ovate. The flowers grow in axillary trichotomous
cymes, with pink corollas that have a 2-lipped structure. The calyx is deeply
5-partite, and the stamens are 2 in number. The capsule is ellipsoid and
covered in fine hairs, containing four glochidiate-papillose seeds.
Uses – It is used in traditional
medicine to treat anemia, and its leaves are employed in culinary preparations.
Additionally, it acts as a host plant for the butterfly species Anartia
fatima.
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