Botanical Name: Pergularia extensa N. E. Br.
Family: Asclepiadaceae; Periplocaceae.
Names in different Indian languages
| English | Hairknot Plant, Whitlow Plant |
|---|---|
| Hindi | Utaran, jutak |
| Kannada | Talavaranaballi, halokoratige |
| Malayalam | Velliparuthi |
| Sanskrit | Kurutakah, uttamarani |
| Tamil | Velliparuthi |
| Telugu | Gurcettu, jittupaku |
| Unani | |
| Folk | Utaran |
Synonyms
P. daemia (Forsk.) Chiov
Uttamaarani, Vrischikaali, Vishaanikaa. Phalakantaka. Ajashringi
Morphology
The opposite and broadly ovate to suborbicular leaves are very variable in size, with petioles of varying length. The leaves are almost glabrous above and velvety below.
In the northern hemisphere the flowers appear from mid to late winter, and these are carried on lateral cymes. The flower corolla forms a greenish-yellow or dull white tube. The fruit mature after some 13 to 14 months when they release ovate seeds covered with velvety hairs.