Family:
Pedaliaceae
Synonym: Sesamopteris radiata (Thonn. ex Hornem.) DC. ex Meisn.
Vernacular name: Kaattellu
Habit: Herb
Habitat: Waste lands, rocky areas
Distribution: Native of Tropical West Africa; now widely spread
Flowering
and Fruiting:
January-September
Key
identification features: Erect
mucilaginous herbs, have 4-angled stems. The upper leaves become smaller and
elliptic to oblong. Solitary axillary flowers grace the plant. The pinkish
corolla boasts a funnel-shaped tube. 4 didynamous stamens are included. Fruit
is a capsule.
Uses: The leaves are consumed as a vegetable, and
they have medicinal uses as a laxative, antidote to scorpion venom, and for
treating sprains and childbirth
No comments:
Post a Comment