Glinus lotoides - Lotus Sweetjuice

Lotus Sweetjuice

ative

Photo: Thingnam Girija

Common name: Lotus Sweetjuice, Damascisa, Hairy carpet weed • Assamese: পদ্মাক্ষী শাক Padmakshi shak • Bengali:আলুঘাস Alughasa, দশেরা শাক Dasera saka • Chinese: 星粟草 Xing su cao • Gujarati: ધોળો ઓખરાડ Dholo okharad, મીઠો ઓખરાડ Mitho okharad • Hindi: गंधी बूटी Gandhi buti • Kannada: ಚಂದ್ರ ಕಾಸಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು Chandra kaasi soppu, ಕಾಗ ಪುರಳೆ ಗಿಡ Kaaga purale gida • Konkani: कडवी भाजी Kadvi bhaji • Marathi: कडवी भाजी Kadvi bhaji • Punjabi: ਗੰਦੀ ਬੂਟੀ Gandhi buti • Rajasthani: बकडो Bakado, गंधी बूटी Gandhi buti • Tamil: செருப்படை Cheruppatai • Telugu: చాదరాసి కూర Chadrasi koora, తెల్ల పొరకు Thella poraku, తెల్ల పుని Thella puni Source: Names of Plants in India

Botanical name: Glinus lotoides Family: Molluginaceae (Carpetweed family)
Synonyms: Mollugo lotoides, Mollugo hirta

Lotus Sweetjuice is an annual prostrate herb up to 40 cm long, with various parts woolly. Flowers are creamish with 5 tepals. Tepals are elliptic or oblong, 4-6 mm, up to 7 mm in fruit, persistent. Stamens usually 3-15, free. Flower stalks are up to 1.5 mm long. Fertile stamens are 12. Stigmas are 5, linear, about 1 mm long, persistent. Flowers are borne in stalkless clusters of 5-6, in leaf axils. Leaves are 0.6-2.0 cm long, 0.5-1.8 cm broad, round or more or less wedge-shaped, often with a sharp point at the tip, stalk 2-8 mm long. Capsule is round or oblong, about 6 mm long, membranous, enclosed in the sepals. Seeds are many, less than 1 mm long. Flowering: February-May.

Identification credit: M.M. Sardesai

Photographed in Imphal, Manipur & near Lonavala, Maharashtra.

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