Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.pankajoudhia.com
Copyright © 2004. All Rights Reserved. Quotation from this document should cite and acknowledge the contributor.
Scientific Name: Commelina benghalensis Linn.
Family: Commelinaceae
English Name: Day Flower, Dew Flower.
Hindi Name: Kanchara, Kaua-kaini, Kanuraka.
General Description: It grows as common weed in crop fields particularly in rice fields in India. It is popularly used as folk medicine.
Botanical differences among the major Commelina species.
| Characters | C. benghalensis | C. albescens | C. diffusa | C. forskalae | C. paludosa | C. erecta |
| Plant | A large, straggling annual, rooting at basal nodes and covered on all parts with a colourless pubescens | A perennial diffuse or suberect herb from a woody, knotted rhizomotous stock | A variable, straggling annual with glabrous, arching internodes, rooting at lower nodes | A much branched, diffuse annual, rooting at lower nodes | A. scadent, perennial herb | A perennial much branched, decumbent or ascending herb |
| Stem | branches many, some of them growing under ground and bearing reduced leaves and spathes with apetalous closed flowers and capsules | Annual, much branched, clothed below with many, white, membranous sheaths with or without whittering leaves | Branches slender, glabrous or puberulent | Stem stout, branched from the base, rooting at basal nodes, glabrous | ||
| Leaves | Ovate-elliptic or oblong, shortly triangular or subobtuse apex. | Linear-lanceolate, broadest a little above base, gradually tapering to an acute apex | Broadly lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, abruptly acuminate | Narrowly oblong or scarcely elliptic, obtuse or subacute at apex | Subsessile, elliptic-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, some what oblique at base, glabrous | Lanceolate, entire, somewhat pubescent above, glabrous and greyish-green below, acute or acuminate |
| Flowers | Bluish-violet, cyme branches 1 or 2, one often suppressed, when 2, inner bearing one male flower, outer bearing 2-3 perfect flowers | Pale blue | Deep cobalt-blue | White, in simple or branched cymes. | ||
| Fruit | Capsule broadly ovoid-oblong | Capsule 5mm long | Capsule elongate, 7 mm long | Capsule sub-cubic, buff coloured. | Capsules oblong | |
| Seeds | Ovoid | Obliquely ovoid | Ovoid elongate | Black with membranous margin. One in each cell |
Useful Parts: Whole herb.
Traditional Medicinal Uses: According to Ayurveda, it is bitter and useful in treatment of leprosy, and nervous system related disorders.
Internet Resources
Traditional Medicinal Knowledge about Common herbs used for hair care in Chhattisgarh,
India.
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/17_hair_care.html
Traditional knowledge about medicinal rice soils in Chhattisgarh (India).
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/13_rice_soils.html
References
Bhandari, M.M. (1990). Flora of the Indian Desert. Pbl. MPS Repros, Jopdhpur,
India. : 320-323.
Caius, J.F. (1986). Medicinal and poisonous plants of India. Pbl. Scientific
Publishers, Jodhpur, India. : 126-127.
Resource Person
Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.celestine-india.com/pankajoudhia