Dense-Flowered Snake Root is a shrub growing up to 12 ft tall, with milky
juice. Leaves are borne in whorls of 3-4, near the ends of the branches,
very variable in size, 3-9 x 1-3 inch. Leaves are invert-lanceshaped or
obovate, long-pointed, hairless, light-green above, paler beneath, base
tapering; main nerves 8-20 pairs. Leaf stalks are 1-2 cm long. Flowers
are white or pink , appearing with the young leaves, in lax few-flowered
corymb-like cymes. Cymes occur several together, on 1.8-6 cm long stalks.
Flower stalks are slender, 6-9.5 mm long. Sepal cup is 4-4.5 mm long, with
2.5-3 mm long, lanceshaped sepals. Flower tube is 7-9 mm long, slightly
longer than the petals, inflated at the top. Petals are elliptic-oblong,
rounded at the tip. Fruits occur generally in pairs, free ellipsoid, 8-12
mm long, brownish-purple when ripe. Dense-Flowered Snake Root is found in
Peninsular India and NE India. Flowering: June-July.
Medicinal uses: Dense-Flowered Snake Root is used in China to treat
snake poisoning, malaria, and typhus. The roots are used to treat
hypertension and as a sedative.