Heliotropium indicum

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Photographs by: Dr. Maulik Gadani

  • Botanical Name : Heliotropium indicum L.
  • Common Name : Hathi Sundhi, Bhurundi, Indian Heliotrope, Erysipelas Plant, Scorpion Weed
  • Plant Family : Boraginaceae
  • Plant Form : Herb
  • Occurrence (Special Areas) : Gujarat Forestry Research Foundation, Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan

About Heliotropium indicum Plant :

  • Habit : An annual herb, hairy.
  • Leaves : Alternate or subopposite, about 3 inches large, ovate, obtuse, wavy, cordate, oblique and decurrent, hairy, petioles slightly winged.
  • Inflorescence : Simple or forked extra-axillary scorpioid spikes, 2-ranked.
  • Flowers :
    • White or pale-violet.
    • Calyx deeply 5-partite, hairy.
    • Corolla funnel-shaped, lobes 5, orbicular.
    • Stamens 5, filaments short.
    • Ovary 4-celled, with one ovule in each cell, style terminal, stigma with an annular frill.
  • Fruits : Pyrenes bilobed.
  • Flowering and Fruiting Time : October-December
  • Significance :
    • A common weed in wastelands everywhere.
    • The plant is used as a local application for boils, ulcers, sores, and stings of insects and reptiles.
    • It has great reputation for the cure of sore throat and tonsils.