Dicliptera paniculata - Panicled Foldwing

Panicled Foldwing

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Photo: Shaista Ahmad

Common name: Panicled Foldwing, Lady flower, Panicled Peristrophe • Assamese: কাকজংঘা kakajangha, নাক ভঙা naka bhanga • Bengali: নাসাভাঙ্গা nasabhanga • Gujarati: બોડી અઘાડી bodi aghadi, કાકજંઘા kakajangha, કાળી અઘેડી kali aghedi • Hindi: अत्रिलाल atrilal, काकजंघा kakajangha, काकनाडी kakanadi, मसी masi, नसभंगा nasabhanga • Kachchhi: કારી અઘેડી kari aghedi, લસી અઘેડી lasi aghedi • Kannada: ಚೀಬೀ ಗಿಡ cheebee gida, ಸೀಬಿ ಗಿಡ sibi gida • Malayalam: കാട്ടുപുഴുക്കൊല്ലി kattupuzhukkolli • Manipuri: ꯈꯨꯃꯥꯟ ꯂꯥꯡꯊ꯭ꯔꯩ Khuman langthrei • Marathi: काकजंघा kakajangha, पित्तपापडा pittpapada, रान किरायत ran kirayat • Sanskrit: काकजङ्घा kakajangha, काकतिक्ता kakatikta, नदीकान्ता nadikanta, प्रचीबल prachibala, सुलोमशा sulomasha • Santali: barge khode baha • Sindhi: નઝપત najhpat • Tamil: காரக்காஞ்சிரம் kara-k-kanciram • Telugu: చేబీరా chebeera Source: Names of Plants in India

Botanical name: Dicliptera paniculata Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
Synonyms: Dicliptera bicalyculata, Peristrophe paniculata

Panicled Foldwing is an erect herb, 0.6-1.2 m tall. Young shoots are usually 4-sided; adult shoots 6-sided, white spreading bristle-hairy. Ovate leaves opposite, equal and unequal; leaf-stalk 3-5 mm. Smaller ones 0.8-1.2 x 3-5 mm, larger ones 3-4.5 x 1.5-2 cm, densely hairy and prominently so on veins. Flowers are borne at branch-ends or in leaf-axils, with leaves forming a large lax panicle. Pink flowers, to 1 cm, 2-lipped - lower lip spreading, upper lip erect. Stamens 2; filaments distinct, to 5 mm, white hairy. Panicled Foldwing is found in India, Myanmar and Tropical Africa. It is also found in the Himalayas and Western Ghats, at altitudes of 600-2200 m. Flowering: October-February.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke

Photographed in J.N.U., Delhi.

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