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Beach Launaea
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Beach Launaea
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Beach Launaea • Gujarati: અલમીરો alamiro, ભોપાથરી bhopathari, ભુઈપાત્ર bhuipatra • Kachchhi: ગેંમાર gemmar, ગુડવલ gudval • Kannada: ಬೋನಪತ್ರಿ bonapatri • Konkani: अलमीरो almiro • Malayalam: ഏട്ടച്ചപ്പ് ettachappu, കടൽക്കൊഴുപ്പ kadalkkozhuppa • Marathi: सागर पाथरी sagar pathari • Rajasthani: पाथरी pathri • Tamil: செந்தம் centam, எழுத்தாணி eluttani, கட்டாரி kattari Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Launaea sarmentosa    Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
Synonyms: Launaea pinnatifida

Beach Launaea is a hairless whip-shaped, procumbent perennial herb, rooting and leaf-bearing at the nodes and arching between them. Leaves at the roots are 2.5-7.5 cm long, oblong, pinnately cut or sinuate-toothed or lobed. Flower-heads are 1-1.3 cm across, solitary or in clusters of 1-2, arising from the nodes together with the stem leaves. It is native to coastal areas in Africa (east coast), Madagascar, the Seychelles, Mauritius, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Medicinal uses: The plant is given as a lactagogue. Juice of the plant is tonic, diuretic, aperient; applied in rheumatic affections and given as a soporific to children.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed at Betal Betim beach, Goa

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