Ruellia prostrata Poir.Family: Acanthaceae
Synonym: Dipteracanthus prostrata, Dipteracanthus prostratus (Poir.) Nees (Aphelandra castanifolia Britton ex Rusby; Dipteracanthus dejectus Nees; Dipteracanthus prostratus (Poir.) Nees; Ruellia otaviensis P.G. Mey.; Ruellia prostrata Poir.; Ruellia prostrata var. dejecta (Nees) C.B. Clarke; Ruellia rivularis (Benoist)
English: Bell Weed, prostrate wild petunia
French: Ruellie prostrée
Malayalam: Thuppalampott, Velipadakkam, Upudali
Marathi: Kali dhawani
Tamil: Pottakanchi
Telugu: Neelambaram
Gujarati: Kalughavani, Kali Dhraman
Description: Erect or decument perennial herb, up to c. 50 cm tall, sometimes scrambling and taller. Stems several, growing from a woody rootstock, variously pubescent or with more or less spreading hairs. Leaves opposite, elliptic, lanceolate to more or less broadly ovate, 4-10 cm long, usually pointed at the apex, almost hairless or pubescent, most densely so along the veins; petiole up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers axillary, solitary or 2-3 together; bracts lanceolate to broadly ovate, 7-23 mm long. Calyx 9-25 mm long, divided almost to the base; lobes filiform, ciliate-hairy. Corolla white, mauve or purple, short-lived; tube 14-28 mm long with cylindric part much shorter than the throat; lobes more or less broadly elliptic, 6-16 mm long and up to 15 mm wide; margin entire to crenate-dentate. Capsule narrowly oblanceolate or clavate, 15-24 mm long, finely velvety.
Plant decoction in case of physical weakness; leaves for ear complaints. Seed powder given to person with sperm deficiency. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
8 Published articles of Ruellia prostrata
