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 ative |
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Common name: निळवंती Nilwanti (Marathi)
Botanical name: Cyanotis fasciculata Family: Commelinaceae (dayflower family)
Nilwanti (referring to its blue color) is a small annual herb commonly found
on dry grasslands and rocks in the Western Ghats. Wooly, spreading branches
are 10-20 cm long, rooting at nodes. Lance-like leaves are 2-5 cm long.
Flowers occur in 6-15 mm long cymes, either at the leaf axils, or at the end
of branches. The flower cyme looks like a blue bunch of hair, with a few yellow
anthers visible in between. The flower cyme seems to be carried on a hairy
lance-like curved bract which is 1 cm long.
| Photographed in
Lonavala, Maharashtra. |
Identification credit: Pravin Kawale
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