Description: Erect, unbranched or rarely branched herbs, up to 1 m tall; stem terete, thick more or less fleshy, hollow, covered with short, rigid hairs, hairs at nodes sometimes larger. Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate 4.5-6.5 x 1.5-2.5 cm, base acute to cuneate, apex acute to shortly acuminate, margin entire, main nerves (3-) 5-7, all arising from the base, cross nervules inconspicuous above, prominent beneath; both surfaces covered with short, stiff, subappressed to ascending hairs on the nerves beneath usually longer, bristly and often appear in groups, becoming dull green to brownish on drying, chartaceous; petioles 5-9 mm long, appressed hairy. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, few flowered short panicles, bracts orbicular, broader than long 2.0-4.0 x 3.5-5.5 mm, appressed hairy above, glabrous beneath, sometimes series of bracts remain persistent on the peduncle. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, sessile or with a very short pedicel of about 1 mm long. Calyx-tube broadly urceolate, 5.0-7.0 x 3.5-5.5 mm, densely covered with flat, stellate or very slightly stalked emergences, often intermixed with bristles, hairs on the emergences arise with a downward fashion, brownish. Calyx-lobes 5, distinctly asymmetrical, truncate, broader than long, 2.0-3.5 x 2.5-4.2 mm, unequally two lobed at apex, midrib distinct, patent hairs and emergences occur on the midrib dorsally, otherwise glabrous, long ciliated at margin, deciduous. Intersepalar emergences with a terete stalk and stellate head and tuft of bristles, deciduous. Petals 5, obovate, 16.0-20.0 x 12.0-14.0 mm, ciliated at margin, pink or purple in colour. Stamens 10, equal, filaments 6.0-8.0 mm long, glabrous; anthers twisted, 6.0-7.5 mm long, including a small narrow beak, pore apical, connective produced into a small indistinctly lobed collar. Ovary 5.0-7.0 mm long, nearly 1/3 adnate to the calyx-tube, free apical part densely covered with brownish appressed hairs, true crown of bristles absent; style 16-19 mm long, glabrous, curved, swollen below the punctate stigma. Capsules 7.0-9.0 x 4.5-5.5 mm, broadly urceolate, free portion of the capsules slightly exposed or remain enclosed by the calyx-tube; seeds small, muricate.

Habit: Herb

Flowering & Fruiting: August-December

District(s): Palakkad, Thrissur

Medicinal:

Habitat: Evergreen forests

Distribution: Southern Western Ghats (Kerala)

Aquatic: No

Epiphyte(s): No

Saprophyte: No

Stem parasite: No

Root parasite: No

Flower colour(s): Pink, Purple

Weed: No

Monocot/Dicot: Dicotyledonous Plants

Exotic: No

Garden: No

Edible: No

Vegetable: No

Endemic to: Kerala

IUCN status:

Altitude:

Localities:

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