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Malabar Begonia
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Malabar Begonia
ative Photo: Navendu Pāgé
Common name: Malabar Begonia • Marathi: मलबारी काप्रु malabari kapru • Malayalam: ജനാംകൊല്ലി janankolli, കയ്യാലപ്പുളി kayyalappuli, രക്തസൂരി raktasuri, ചെറിയ ഞെരിഞ്ഞമ്പുളി tsjeria-narinampuli Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Begonia malabarica    Family: Begoniaceae (Begonia family)
Synonyms: Begonia hydrophila, Begonia fallax, Begonia rubrosetulosa

Malabar Begonia is a herb with stem often 2 ft long, repeatedly dividing, with many leaves. Flowers arise in leaf axils, with flower-cluster-stalks rarely exceeding 2-3 inches. Flowers are rose colored, not very many on a peduncle. Males flowers have 4 tepals, and female flowers have 3 tepals. This features clearly distinguishes it from Two-Petal Begonia. Leaves are 2-4 inches, heart-shaped, pointed, very unequal at the base, with toothed margin. Leaf-stalks are 1-5 inches long. Stipules are 5 mm, persistent, ovate pointed, hairless. Capsules are 1.8 x 1.8 cm, including the wings.
Medicinal uses: Malabar Begonia is an important medicinal plant whose main secondary metabolites are luteolin, quercetin and β-sitosterol. The leaves are used for the treatment of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, blood cancer and skin diseases. Very few reports on cultivation, breeding and improvement programmes and in vitro studies of B. malabarica are available despite its commercial importance.

Identification credit: Navendu Pāgé Photographed in Western Ghats.

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