Kiriyathu, Nilaveppu
Scientific Name :
Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees
Synonym(s) :
Justicia paniculata Burm. f.
Local/Common name(s) :
Kiriyathu, Nilaveppu
Family :
Acanthaceae
Habit :
Herb
Flowering/Fruiting Time :
March-December
Habitat :
Scrub jungles, also in the plains
Endemic :
No
Status (IUCN) :
Distribution :
Peninsular India and Sri Lanka
Nativity :
Indigenous
Uses :
Medicine
Description (Morphology) :
Slender herbs; branches glabrous. Leaves simple, opposite, 9 x 1.5 cm, elliptic, acuminate at apex, base acute, decussate, glabrous. Panicle terminal and upper axillary, glandular-hairy; flowers many, distant. Calyx lobes 3 mm long, linear, hairy, connate at base. Corolla 14 mm long, pink or white with purple dots, tube ventricose, hairy, upper lip entire, midlobe of lower lip broader than laterals, acute, glandular-hairy. Ovary puberulus, style hairy. Capsule 20-30 x 3 mm, oblong, acute, hairy; retinacula spoon shaped; seeds 8, glabrous.