Wishbone Flower
Common name for
a small, ornamental, creeping plant, with the botanical
synonymes
Torenia asiatica and Torenia
travancorica, and belonging to the family
Scrophulariaceae. This trailing annual herb has
a four-angled
stem, that bears
either pale and
deep purple, or
‒alternatively‒
light
and dark magenta flowers, each about
2 to 3 centimeters across
and with a dark yellow core.
Its leaves, which are deltoid with a serrate margin, are
used in traditional medicine. It is native to Peninsular India, where it is
commonly known as Kaakapoo and
its
flowering peak occurs after the monsoon. However, it is
also found in the wild in
China,
Japan and Vietnam, and has been introduced in other parts of East, South and
Southeast Asia.
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