Disclaimer : This databank is curated from literature and may not claim for any medications or directly use of plants without any prior knowledge or consultation of physician.
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Botanical Name Plant's Common Name Plant Family

MH431 : Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze

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Melghat's Flora's Serial No. : -  
Class : Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Order : Scrophulariales
Family : Scrophulariaceae - Figwort family
Genus : Striga Lour. - witchweed
Species : Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze - Asiatic witchweed
Plant Location in Melghat : Dharni  
Plant Category : Herbs  
Plant's Current Status : -  
Plant Family : Scrophulariaceae  
 
Plant Common Name : Asiatic Witchweed, Tamil : Chirakachitam, Pallipoondu, Kollaippalli, Chirakacitappuntu, Marathi : Pivla Agya
 
Synonym : Buchnera aquatica Wight ex Steud.
Buchnera asiatica L.
Buchnera coccinea Benth.
Buchnera heyneana D. Dietr.
Buchnera phoenicea Wall.
Campuleia coccinea Hook.
Striga asiatica var. coccinea (Hook.) S.S.R. Bennet.
Striga asiatica var. humilis (Benth.) D.Y. Hong.
Striga asiatica var. lutea (Lour.) M.R.Almeida.
Striga coccinea (Hook.) Benth.
Striga eustriga Steud.
Striga hirsuta Benth.
Striga hirsuta var. humilis Benth.
Striga lutea Lour.
Striga parvula Miq.
Striga phoenicea Benth.
Striga pusilla Hochst. ex Benth.
Striga zangebarica Klotzsch.
Description : conspicuous weed; The height of the weed is variable, but rarely exceeds 30-40 cm, while some forms may be no more than a few centimetres high. In vigorous plants there may be many branches, while small individuals or ecotypes may be unbranched. Length of the normal-looking green leaves may vary from 1 to 5 cm but leaf shape is generally narrowly lanceolate. Stem and leaves are sparsely covered in scabrid hairs. Flowers are arranged in many-flowered terminal and axillary inflorescences, each sessile flower subtended by a small leafy bract and two minute bracteoles. The calyx is tubular, about 5 mm long, with ribs corresponding to the midribs and between adjacent segments, basically 10 in number, but an additional rib or ribs usually develop in some or all of the calyces, to give commonly 11 to 14 ribs, but never the consistent 15 seen in e.g. S. angustifolia. The corolla is also tubular, about twice the length of the calyx and with a sharp bend just below the expanded lobes, across which the width is usually 5 to 10 mm. Five stamens are attached within the corolla tube and there is a single style with a small round stigma, mounted on a capsule, about 5 mm long, containing several hundred seeds. Each seed is about 0.3 mm long and only weighs about 5 µg. These seeds can survive in soil for at least 10 years and some reports suggest longevity up to 20 years.
 
Curated Medicinal Use / Activity :
 
Plant's Phytochemicals :
Reference : ~ Londhe AN, Watve AV and Ansari MY; "Additions to the flora of Melghat Tiger Reserve"; J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. (2002); 26(2): 385-395 PMID :