Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
3-642.13.16
Naravelia zeylanica
Family: Ranunculaceae
Synonyms: Atragene zeylanica; Naravelia pilulifera.
Bengali: Chagulbati.
Irula: Kattu seekkaikodi
Malayalam: Vaathakodi; Karuppakodi; Vathamkodi.
Sanskrit: Agnivalli. Dhanavalli
Sinhalese: Narawael.
Tamil: Vathomkolli; Neendavalli.
Use: ceremonial, religious, supernatural beliefs.
Botany
Shrubs; climbing.
Stem; densely villous.
Roots: tuberous.
Leaves: densely villous; 2 to 3 foliolate; leaflets 4 to 12 by 3 to 8 cm; elliptic-ovate; base rounded; margins distantly dentate; apex acute or acuminate; pubescent beneath, glabrous above; basally 5-ribbed; terminal leaflet transformed into a 3-fid, hooked tendril, up to 9 cm long; petioles 5 to 10 cm long.
Inflorescence: terminal and axillary; divaricately branched, up to 15 cm long panicles.
Flowers: 1.5 cm across, bisexual; sepals 4-5, greenish yellow, ± 1 cm long, elliptic, pubescent without; petals 6-12, greenish yellow, ± 1 by 2 mm, linear to spathulate; stamens many, filaments ligulate, staminodes 10 to 14, petaloid; carpels many, ovule 1 per carpel; style ± 2 mm long; stigma clavate.
Fruit: achenes many; ± 1 cm long, linear, stalked; style feathery persistent, spirally twisted, 3 to 4 cm long.