Sonerila cannanorensis - Kannur Sonerila

Kannur Sonerila is a small herb, growing 6-30 cm tall, stem and branches more or less four-edged, reddish. It is named for the Kannur district of Kerala. Flowers are borne in leaf-axils or at branch-ends, in zig-zag racemes, 4-10 flowered, flower-cluster-stalk 1-2.5 cm long, reddish. Flowers have 3 purple, obovate petals, 6-8 x 3-4 mm. Stamens are 3, filaments 2.5-3.0 mm long, anthers broadly ovate tip pointed not beaked, 1.5-2.0 mm long. Flower-stalks are small, almost merging with the base of ovary, 1.0-2.5 mm long. Sepal-tube is urn-shaped, 4-5 mm long, sepals broadly triangular, 0.5-0.75 x 0.75-1.0 mm. Leaves are in opposite mutually perpendiculat pairs, ovate-lanceshaped, 2.0-4.0 x 1-1.5 cm, base distinctly unequal, oblique, tip shortly and bluntly tapering, pinnately veined, 6-g nerves arising from each side of the midrib, margin sharply sawtoothed, upper surface covered with scattered whitish hairs, lower surface hairless or with a few scattered hairs on the nerves, minutely white spotted, remain greenish or turn brownish green on drying, membranous ; leaf-stalks 1-1.5 cm long, hairless. Capsules 4-5 mm long, indistinctly 6-ribbed, seeds many. Kannur Sonerila is endemic to Southern India.