Botanical Name :
Hemigraphis colorata
Family :
Acanthaceae
Names in different languages :
English : Red Flame Ivy, Metal leaf, Cemetery plant
Malayalam : Murikooti
Sanskrit : Vranaropani
Description of the plant :
It is a prostrate plant with attractive purple colored leaves. Leaves are opposite, ovate, 4.5-8 cm wide, with a somewhat blunt tip and rounded and heart shaped base with toothed margins. Flowers are white, found in terminal spikes up to 7 cm long. Flowers are tubular, cylindrical below, Swollen above, 1.0-1.5 cm long and 5 lobed. Red Flame Ivy is native to Indonesia, cultivated in India.
Therapeutic uses :
In Indonesia, Strobilanthes alternata is used to promote urination, check and heal hemorrhages, stop dysentery, and treat venereal diseases.
The plant is popular in the United States and rarely the United Kingdom to use in hanging baskets for gardens.
