478

Morinda umbellata L.

Synonym	:	Guttenbergia umbellata (L.) Zoll. & Moritzi
Family	:	Rubiaceae
Local name	:	Malayalam - Kudaluchurukki, Ney-valli
Flowering and fruiting period	:	February-June
Distribution	:	Sri Lanka, India through China, Japan and North Australia
Distribution in Kerala	:	Alappuzha, Kollam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki.
Habitat	:	Deciduous forests, also in the sacred groves and plains
Uses	:	Decoction of roots and leaves are useful in stomach disorders and dysentery.
Key Botanical Characters: Climbers. Leaves oblanceolate, abruptly acuminate, scabrous below, nerves 4-6 pairs, reticulate; stipules 6-7 mm long, ovate, acute, entire. Flowers in globose umbellate, heads, radices fused together, hemispheric, truncate; corolla tube 4 mm long, funnel-shaped, lobes 4, valvate, white; stamens 4; anthers oblong; ovary 2-celled; ovule solitary in each cell; style slender, stigmas 2, linear. Fruit fused into a syncarpium of 1 cm across; seeds oblong.