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CLASSIFICATION

ORDER	: Lamiales
FAMILY	: Lamiaceae
GENUS	: Leucas
SPECIES	: aspera
BOTANICAL NAME	: Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link
SYNONYMS	: ---
COMMON NAME	: Common leucas.
TAMIL NAME	: Thumbai.
HINDI NAME	: Chhota halkusa.

PLANT DESCRIPTION

HABIT :  An annual herb with square stem.

LEAVES :  Opposite, linear-oblong or oblong lanceolate, obtuse, entire or crinate, sub-sessile.

INFLORESCENCE :  Terminal and axillary whorls.

FLOWERS :  Sessile, bracteate, bracts linear, ciliate with long hairs. Calyx tubular, curved, hairy, mouth small, oblique, teeth small, the upper the largest. Corolla white, bilabiate, densely-white woolly, lower tip twice as long, the middle lobe obovate, rounded.Stamens 4, didynamous.Ovary 4-lobed, style gynobasic, stigma bifid.

FRUIT :  Nutlets 4, oblong, smooth, brown, inner face sharply angular, the dorsal face rounded.

FLOWERING AND FRUITING TIME :  July-October

MEDICINAL USES

A popular Pot Herb believed to help develop resistance to fight diseases.

The plant is used traditionally as an antipyretic and insecticide

Medicinally, it has been proven to possess various pharmacological activities like antifungal, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antinociceptive and cytotoxic activity.

IMAGES

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