Heliotropium indicum L.
Family
Boraginaceae
Synonyms
None
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Rumput ekur kuching, rumput kala jenkeng, rumput oleh (Peninsular) |
| English | Indian heliotrope |
| Indonesia | Buntut tikus (Malay), bandotan, gajahan (Javanese) |
| Philippines | Trompa ngelephante, buntot-leon (Tagalog, Bikol), kambra-kambra (Bisaya) |
| Cambodia | Promoi damrey, kantui damrey |
| Laos | Nha nguong xang |
| Thailand | Kuno kaa-mo (Peninsular), yaa nguang chaang (General), yaa nguang chaang noi (Northern) |
| Vietnam | C[aa]y v[of]i voi |
| French | Tournesol indien |
Geographical Distributions
It is probably a native of tropical America, now widespread in all tropical regions of the world. H. indicum is a common weed throughout Malesia.
Description
This is an annual herb, 15-60(-100) cm tall. The stem is hairy, simple or with a few branches.
The leaves are egg-shaped, (1.5-)2-10(-12) cm x 1-8(-9) cm. The base is truncated but narrowly long-extending downwards and united to the stalk. The apex is acute, with tuber-like of mineralised cells and bristly hairs. The stalk is 1-9 cm long.
The inflorescence consists of 1 to several spike-like indeterminate inflorescence(s), elongated to 5-20 cm long and without bracts. The sepal is with patent, bristly white hairs. The petal is salver-shaped. The tube is 3-4.5 mm long. The lobes are rounded, about 1 mm long, pale-violet, blue or white. The apex of fruit has two prominent teeth and distinctly divergent at pollination.
The fruit is 2-3 mm long, fruit halves 2-celled with cells 2-locular. The outer partition is with one seed while the inner one is larger and empty.
Ecology / Cultivation
H. indicum is found in sunny places, on waste land, in periodically desiccating pools and ditches and other anthropogenic habitats, in general up to 800 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
1) Safety
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1.
