Operculina turpethum

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Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

Botanical Name : Operculina turpethum (L.) Silva Manso
Synonyms : Merremia turpethum (L.) Rendle
Common Name : Nasottar, Pithori, Transparent Wood Rose, White Day Glory, Indian Jalap
Plant Family : Convolvulaceae
Plant Form : Climbers
Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan

Habit : A perennial extensive climber with milky sap with stems narrowly winged, pubescent.
Leaves : Variable in shape, cordate or truncate at base, pubescent on both sides.
Inflorescence : Solitary or in few-flowered cymes.
Flowers : Flowers having peduncles, calyx lobes subequal, minutely pubescent, much enlarged in fruit. Corolla white.
Fruit : Depressed globose. Seeds dull black, obscurely trigonous.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : October onwards.
Significance :The root of the plant has been used for long as a valuable purgative, known in commerce under the name of Turpeth Root or Indian Jalap.