Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) NeesFamily: Acanthaceae
Synonyms: Crossandra axillaris Nees, Crossandra coccinea Dalzell & A.Gibson, Crossandra infundibuliformis var. axillaris (Nees) Trimen, Crossandra infundibuliformis subsp. axillaris (Nees) L.H.Cramer, Crossandra infundibuliformis var. coccinea (Dalzell & A.Gibson) M.R.Almeida, Crossandra nutans Wight ex Nees, Crossandra oppositifolia Wight ex Nees, Crossandra undulifolia Salisb., Harrachia spinosa Hook. ex Nees, Justicia infundibuliformis L., Ruellia infundibuliformis (L.) AndrewsCommon name: Crossandra, Firecracker Flower, Tropic Flame
- Arabic: كروسندرة قمعية الشكل
- Chinese: 鳥尾花
- Finnish: Taikurinkukka
- French: Montagnarde (La)
- Japanese: クロサンドラ
- Kannada: ಕನಕಂಬರಾ kanakambara
- Konkani: Abuli आबुली
- Malayalaam: Manjakkurinji, കനകാംബരം Kanakambaram
- Marathi: Aboli आबोली
- Persian: کروساندرا
- Russian: Кроссандра_воронковидная
- Tamil: கனகாம்பரம் Kanakambaram
- Telugu: కనకాంబరం kanakambaram
- Vietnamese: Hỏa hoàng
Description: A small glabrous, evergreen undershrub, up to 1 (-1.5) m tall with terete branchlets. Leaves crowded near the spike, on 1-4 cm long petiole; lamina ovate-elliptic to lanceolate-oblong, 5-10 x 2-5 cm, basally attenuate, glabrous, margin undulate-crenate, acute at tips. Spikes dense, terminal and axillary, up to 15 cm long. Flowers bright orange-scarlet with yellow throat; bracts lanceolate, 12-15 x 4-5 mm, mucronate, glandular-pubescent to glabrescent; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, hairy, mucronate. Calyx lobes hairy, lanceolate, 7-9 mm long, outer 2 obtuse or bifid, inner smaller. Corolla tube c. 2.5 cm long, limb c. 1.5 cm long. Stamens inserted at the middle of tube. Ovary 2.5-3 mm long; style filiform, up to 2 cm long, glabrous. Capsule oblong, 10-12 mm long, glabrous. Seeds densely clothed with fringed scales.
(Leaf paste applied for toothache. Bark ground with turmeric and the paste applied to skin diseases of children. Crushed fruits made into a paste for brushing teeth to cure pyorrhea. Root paste applied around vagina to cure venereal diseases, syphilis. Flowers ground with pepper and the paste applied to wounds. Aphrodisiac. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
