Kingdom Plantae Clade Eudicots Order Lamiales Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms Clade Asterids Family Lamiaceae | |
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Similar Rotheca, Clerodendrum, Volkameria, Gigantochloa atter, Erythrina subumbrans | ||
Rotheca serrata, commonly known as the blue fountain bush, the blue-flowered glory tree or the beetle killer, is a species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
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Description
Rotheca serrata is a small bush growing to a height of up to 8 feet (2.4 m). The squarish stems are only sparsely branched. The young growth is glabrous and the leaves are in opposite pairs or develop with three at a node. They are oval, serrated and hairless with an acute base and a stout petiole. The flowers are showy and develop in cymes which are covered with short, soft erect hairs. The individual flowers are small and form part of an erect pyramidal panicle up to 10 in (25 cm) long. The corolla of each flower is blue, cylindrical, hairless outside and hairy inside and the stamens arch out from it. The four upper lobes are flat and spreading while the lowest lobe forms a concave lip. The fruit is a four-lobed fleshy drupe, green at first and black when ripe.
Distribution
Rotheca serrata is native to eastern India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and is found in forests.
Uses
This plant has several traditional usages. The roots are used for dyspepsia and rheumatism, and as a treatment for bronchial asthma, bronchitis and wasting diseases. The leaves are used internally as a febrifuge and the seeds for dropsy. The plant is also used in Ayurveda for snake bites.
Common names
