FoI
Indian Mallow
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Indian Mallow
ative ovate Photo: Tabish
Common name: Indian Mallow, Country Mallow, Abutilon, Indian abutilon • Hindi: कंघी Kanghi, बन कुकरा Ban kukra, बन कुइया Ban kuiya • Marathi: पेटारी Petari • Tamil: Paniyaratutti • Malayalam: വെല്ലുരമ് Velluram • Telugu: Tuturabenda • Kannada: ಕಿಸಂಗಿ Kisangi, ಗಿಡುತಿಂಗಿ Gidutingi, ನೆಲದುರುವೆ Neladuruve, ಹಾಗಡೆ Haagade, ಹೆತ್ತುತ್ತಿ Hettutti • Bengali: পোটারী Potari • Manipuri: ꯀꯡꯘꯤ Kanghi • Nepali: अतिबालु Atibaalu, अतिबला Atibalaa
Botanical name: Abutilon indicum    Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Synonyms: Sida indica, Abutilon asiaticum, Abutilon arborescens

Indian Mallow is an erect velvety-pubescent shrub with circular-ovate or heart-shaped leaves with coarsely crenate-serrate margins. The plant can reach up to 1-2 m. The leaves are alternately arranged, and have long stalks and have velvety, soft, pale hairs on them. Orange-yellow flowers, 2-3 cm across, occur solitary in axils, on long stalks, 4-7 cm. Orange-yellow petals are triangular-obovate, 1 cm long or slightly more, staminal-tube hairy with stellate hairs. Fruit is quite interesting - it is circular in shape, consisting of 11-20 radiating hairy carpels, brown when dry; each carpel flattened, somewhat boatshaped. Seeds are kidney-shaped. The plant is a weed commonly found on disturbed land. Flowering: September-April.
Medicinal uses: Extract of water-soaked dried seeds is used as purgative. Leaves are used as tonic. Roots are taken as infusion in fever.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed at Okhla Pakshi Vihar, Delhi.

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