Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)
English: Ban Kapas, common mallow
Sanskrit: वनकर्पास vanakarpasah
Hindi: जंगली भिंडी jangli bhindi, बनकपासी bankapasi
Tamil: காட்டுப்பருத்தி kattupparutti
Malayalam: katthurparathi-കാട്ടുപരുത്തി, katupuvarasu-കാട്ടുപൂവരശ്
Useful plant parts:
Roots and fruits
The Wild cotton plant is erect, branched under shrub, grow to 2-3 m in height. The leaves are green, smooth upper and hairy beneath, surface ovate, ovate-oblong, up to 20 cm long, leaves are tri-lobed or nearly entire, broad and heart-shaped, tapered at the end. The flowers are large, yellow and borne in threes in the apex of the branches. The calyx is green, with 5 pointed lobes united below the middle. The corolla is bell-shaped, 6-8 cm long, yellow, and dark-purple at the centre. The capsules are ovoid, and about 3 cm long, with 4 to 5 valves.
Medicinal uses:
To treat jaundice, gonorrhoea and syphilis.
Chemical content:
lignin
Medicinal properties:
Bulk enhancer, energizer, diuretic and body stabilizer
Image credit: Dinesh Valke-Flickr
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