Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
This is a drug largely used in native medicine. This enters into the composition of many preparations, decoctions, churnas and ghritas for various diseases, but chiefly dysentery and diarrhoea by reason of its being highly astringent.
E. Tanzania, Comoros, Madagascar, Tropical & Subtropical Asia(Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya)
Dry tropical biome, 200- 1800m
Perennial shrub 3 m tall.
Long, strong, brown or reddish-brown in color.
Simple, opposite or whorled in threes, covered with fine white hairs.
Large, vibrant red-orange, clustered in short shoots at the leaf axils (junction of leaf and stem).
Dry, irregular capsules containing small, brown seeds.
Flowering: August- October