1286

 Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.Chev

Synonym	:	Aletris chinensis Lam.
Family	:	Asparagaceae
Flowering and fruiting period	:	March-April
Distribution	:	Tropical South East Asia, Australia and Pacific Island
Distribution in kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Grown as garden plant
Endemic / Exotic		Exotic
Uses	:	used for the treatment of various disorders, such as fever, headache, diarrhea, coughs, haemoptysis, small pox, madness, skin eruptions, joint pains, rheumatic bone pains.
Key Botanical Characters  : Unbranched slender shrub; leaf-scars prominent towards apex. Leaves crowded at apex, oblong, to 40 x 18 cm, purplish, abruptly constricted into the petiole to 18 cm, grooved above; petiole base widened into sheath. Panicle to 40 cm, well branched, 30 cm wide; stalk 15 cm. Flowers bisexual, subsessile; bracts ovate, 3 mm. Perianth 1.5 cm, tubular below; lobes 3+3, reddish, 1 cm, reflexed. Stamens 6, inserted on the tube, 4.5 mm. Ovary superior; ovules c. 16 per cell; style 1.5 cm. Berry subglobose, 1 cm wide; seeds numerous, black.