Botanical name: Lepidagathis trinervis    Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
Synonyms: Barleria axillaris, Lepidagathis axillaris, Ruellia trinervis

Frilly Lepidagathis is a prostrae to suberect undershrub, up to a foot tall. Twigs are quardrangular, bristly or hairless twigs, arising from a woody rootstock. Leaves are stalkless, linear to narrowly lanceshaped, 2-4.5 cm long, 3-5 mm broad, hairless, 3-nerved from the base, lateral nerves weaker than midrib and run along entire margin. Flowers are light pink, in dense, one-sided stalkless oblong-ovoid spikes, 1-2 cm long, in leaf axils. The spikes are fascicled near rootstock or a little higher up. Flowers have a frilly appearance because of the long, spine-tipped bracts. Bracts are ovate or elliptic-ovate, 4-5 x 2.5-3 mm, with a 3.5-4.5 mm long recurved spine at the tip. Bracteoles are nearly as long as long bracts, outer oblong-lanceshaped, long-pointed, inner wedge-shaped, membranous. Sepals are 5, 7-8 mm long, membranous, pointed but not spine-tipped. Flowers are spotted inside, 5-6 mm long, densely long silky hairy in bud, upper lip slightly notched, lower lip with 3, patent blunt lobes. Capsule is ovoid-lanceshaped, 5-6 mm long, 2-seeded, hairless. Frilly Lepidagathis is found in North-west Himalayas and Sikkim and from Bihar to central, western and southern India. Flowering: September-February.
Medicinal uses: The plant is used as a bitter tonic. It is used for rheumatic affections.

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The flower labeled Frilly Lepidagathis is ...