Lavana Valli / Ganges Primrose
Asystasia gangetica
Also known as Chinese Violet
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- August-December
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Asystasia gangetica
- Genus
- Asystasia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Degraded forests and plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Arabia, Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Goa, Puducherry, Gujarat, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tripura
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“The leaves are simple and opposite.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“The leaves are simple and opposite.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Lavana Valli itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit is an explosive capsule which starts out green in colour, but dries to brown after opening.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Lavana Valli itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- மெட்டிக்கீரை, நறுஞ்சுவைக் கீரை
- Kannada
- ಲವಂಗವಲ್ಲಿ Lavangavalli, ಲವಣ ವಲ್ಲಿ Lavana valli, ಮುದ್ದೆಸೊಪ್ಪು Muddesoppu
- Malayalam
- valli-upu-dal, തുപ്പലംപൊട്ടി, Asystasia gangetica
- Marathi
- लवण वल्ली lavana valli
- Sinhala
- රිලා පුරුක්
About Lavana Valli
Ganges Primrose (Asystasia gangetica) is a herb in the Acanthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and 14 other states. It grows in degraded forests and plains. Flowering and fruiting run from August to December.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and planted as an ornamental. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Lavana Valli belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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