Very rare indigenous herb considered as a
Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) in the 2012 Red list. However
Jayasinghe H.D. has reported it in a home garden at
Hammaliya of the
Kurunegala district in 2013-14. Pictures posted with this post were observed at a roadside embankment at
Dondra (දෙවිනුවර/දෙවුන්දර) of
Matara district in mid of December 2017 with flowers. Several plants were seen in the vicinity. As per
Dasanayaka M.D. & Clayton W.D. two varieties of this herb occurs in
Sri Lanka. Variety
paniculata grows in semi-shade in waste places by roadsides in the moist and dry lowlands and moist mid country, while endemic variety
glandulosa is
found in
sub-montane forests. Flowering from January to April. Whole plant medicinal.
References:
- Dasanayaka M.D. & Clayton W.D., 1998, A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Volume XII
- The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Weerakoon, D.K. & S. Wijesundara Eds.,Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 99-113 pp
- Jayasinghe H.D., 2015 Notes on observations of some threatened flowering plants of Sri Lanka including two “Extinct” species.Himesh Dilruwan Jayasinghe, NeBIO I An international journal of environment and biodiversity Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2015, 1 - 8
