Occurrence (Special Areas) :
Gujarat Forestry Research Foundation, Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan, Van Chetana Kendra
About Bryophyllum pinnatum Plant :
Habit : A succulent herb.
Stem : Obtusely 4-angled.
Leaves : Variable, decussate, the lower simple, the upper 3-5 or 7-foliate, petiole long, united by a ridge round the stems.Leaflets ovate or elliptic, crenate.
Inflorescence : Terminal panicles.
Flowers :
Flowers drooping with opposite stout branches.
Calyx inflated, cylindric, 4-fid, teeth triangular, green striated red.
Corolla reddish-purple, swollen at the base, constricted in the middle, with 4 triangular lobes above.
Stamens 8, in 2 series, epipetalous, filaments green at the base, pinkish, below the anthers, hastate, black.
Hypogynous scales 4, free or connate with the carpels.
Carpels 4, narrowed into the long, green styles.
Ovules many.
Fruits : Follicles 4, enclosed in the papery persistent calyx and corolla.
Seeds : Small, oblong-ellipsoid.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : January-February
Significance :
Cultivated in the gardens.
Leaves produce adventitious buds when placed in moist soil.
The juice of the leaves is used in diarrhea, dysentery and applied on bruises for its antiseptic and astringent properties.
