Common name: Pin Cushion Plant • Hindi: Putliyo • Marathi: गोलगोंडा Golgonda • Gujarati: Ganthera
Botanical name: Neuracanthus sphaerostachyus Family: Acanthaceae (ruellia family)
The species name sphaerostachyus means spherical flower head. This feature is probably what gives it the common name pin cushion plant. The flowers are violet-purple in color. It is an erect annual herb 30-60 cm high. Oppositely arranged, elliptic oblong leaves are 5-10 cm in length, and are almost without stalk. Flowers occur in rounded clusters which, again, are without a stalk. Used in making a health tonic for animal.
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