Common name: Frog Fruit, Turkey tangle, Creeping Lip Plant, Lippia • Hindi: जल बूटी Jal buti, Jalpapli • Manipuri: Chinglengbi • Marathi: Jalapimpali • Tamil: Podutalei • Malayalam: Nirtippali • Telugu: Bokkena • Kannada: Nelahippali • Konkani: Adali
Botanical name: Phyla nodiflora Family: Verbenaceae (Verbena family)
Frog Fruit is a flowering, broadleaf plant native to South America. It is grows in a groundcover or turflike manner, and is often present in yards.
The inflorescence consists of a purple-coloured centre encircled by small white-to-pink flowers. The flower takes on a match-like look, which is why the plant is called matchweed. The leaf arrangement is opposite. Each leaf has one to seven teeth on each edge starting at the widest point and continuing to the tip.
Medicinal uses: Plant decoction is given in uraema. Fresh juice is applied to bleeding gums. Infusion of leaves and tender stalk is given to children in indigestion and to women after delivary.
| Photographed in Imphal, Manipur. |
Identification credit: Navendu Pagé
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aturalized