703

Nymphoides krishnakesara k. t.Joseph & Sivar.

Family	:	Menyanthaceae
Local name	:	Malayalam: Krishnabal
Flowering and fruiting period	:	August-November
Distribution		Southern Western Ghats (Kerala)
Distribution in Kerala	:	Kannur, Malappuram
Habitat	:	Seasonal ponds
Uses	:	Anticonvulsant,antioxidant,hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, antitumor, etc.
IUCN status	:	Endangered
Key botanical characters: Dioecious rhizomatous herbs, non-stoloniferous; branches monomorphic, uniphyllous. Leaves dimorphic; the basal ones many, rosulate, submerged, sterile, spathulate with a winged, Flowers in umbellate clusters of 40,unisexual.Male flowers: calyx 5-partite, lobesoblong, obtuse, corolla white, rotate,deeply 5-lobed, tube short with 5-flap-like, obtuse with narrow, shallowly fimbriate marginal and median wings, inserted at the throat of the corolla and alternating with the petals, filaments 2 mm long, anthers blue, pollen yellow;, prominent, hypogynous disc glands 5, fleshy, entire. Female flowers: calyx and corolla as in male; staminodes similar to fertile stamen in male flowers in their number and insertion,but much smaller, white. Pistil bottle-shaped, stigma apparently sessile, green of 2-seriate, radiating, minutely papillate hairs, the outer ones deflexed, inner erect, almost half as long as the ovary; hypogynous glands as in male. Seeds 5-10 per capsule , sharply pointed at apex.