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Sea Holly
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Sea Holly
P Native Unknown Photo: Pravin Kawale
Common name: Sea Holly, holly-leaved acanthus, holly mangrove • Bengali: হাড়গোজা hargoza, কটকি kataki, নীল টেংরাকাঁটা nila tenrakanta • Gujarati: હરગોજા hargoja, કાંટાળીયો kantaliyo, મરાન્ડી marandi • Hindi: हड़कत harkata • Kannada: ಹೊಳೆಚುಳ್ಳಿ holechulli, ತುಡೆಚುಳ್ಳಿ tudechulli, ಹರಿಕುಶ harikusha • Konkani: मारांडो maramdo • Malayalam: ചുള്ളി chulli, ചുള്ളിക്കണ്ടൽ chullikkantal, പയിങ്ങാച്ചുള്ളി payingngaachchulli • Marathi: मारांडी marandi, निवगूर nivagur, वागाटी vagati • Odia: ହାକୁଚ କଣ୍ଟା hakucha kanta, ହାଡ଼କାଠ harda katha, ହାଡ଼କଞ୍ଚି hardakanchi • Sanskrit: हरीकुसा harikusa • Tamil: ஆற்றுமுள்ளி arru-mulli, கழுதைமுள்ளி kalutai-mulli, கோழிமுள்ளி koli-mulli, உப்புக்கரிநீர்முள்ளி uppu-k-kari-nir-mulli • Telugu: అలస్యకంప alasyakampa, అలిసి alisi, ఏటిచిల్ల etichilla, తూడిచిల్ల thude chulli • Tulu: ತುದೆಚುಳ್ಳಿ tudechulli • Urdu: هڙکت harkata Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Acanthus ilicifolius    Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)

Sea Holly is a mangrove plant which has leaves which look like the spiny holly leaves. In fact, not all the leaves have the spiny edges that give them their common name. Leaves growing the deep shade can be totally spineless. Unlike some mangrove plants, Sea Holly do not exclude salt at the root level. In fact, their sap is salty and excess salt is secreted through the leaves, to be removed by rain or wind. Sometimes, the salt can be seen as a white crystalline layer on the upper surface. The plant produces a cluster of flowers which appear in neatly organized spikes at branch tips. Flowers have a single large petal large, showy and light violet. When the pods ripen, they explode to propel the seeds up to 2 m away. The plants flower gregariously. Flowering: December-May.

Identification credit: Pravin Kawale Photographed in Alibag & Mumbai, Maharashtra.

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