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Willow-Leaved Water Croton
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Willow-Leaved Water Croton
ative Photo: Jayesh Patil
Common name: Willow-Leaved Water Croton • Hindi: शेरनी Sherni • Marathi: रान कणेर raan kaner, शेरणी sherni • Tamil: காட்டலரி kattalari • Malayalam: neervanchi, puzhavanchi • Telugu: అడవి గన్నేరు Adavi ganneru • Kannada: ಹೊಳೆ ನಗೆ hole nage, ನೀರುಕಣಿಗಲು Niru kanigalu • Oriya: thotthori • Assamese: Hil-kadam, Tuipui-sulhla • Khasi: Jalangmynrei • Sanskrit: जलवेतस Jalavetasa, क्षुद्रपाषाणभेद Kshudrapashanabheda • Mizo: Tuipuisuthlah
Botanical name: Homonoia riparia    Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)
Synonyms: Adelia neriifolia

Willow-Leaved Water Croton is a plant commonly found growing along small streams at low and medium altitudes, on banks, and in streambeds. It is a shrub growing to 1-3 m tall. The leaves are linear-lanceshaped, 12-20 cm long, and 1.5-2 cm wide. Upper surface of the leaves is green and shining, and the lower surface brown and hairy. Reddish flowers are born in spikes 5-10 cm long, with obovate bracts, 1.5-2 mm long. Male flowers have 0.2 mm long stalks, 3 velvety sepals, 3-4 mm long. Female flowers have 5 oblong sepals, with tapering tips, about 1-2 mm long. The capsules are about 8 mm in diameter, hairy, and borne on solitary, hairy spikes, 5-12 cm long, in leaf axils.
Medicinal uses: A decoction of the root is a laxative and diuretic and is used in piles, stone in the bladder, gonorrhea, syphilis and thirst.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed in Maharashtra.

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