Distribution and habitat: Found throughout the tropics, in plains and at low elevations of Asia, Malaya, China, Philippines. 

Botany: It is much branched, very prickly undershrub, 0.3-1.5 m in height flattened towards base. 

• Leaves: Simple, alternate, 4.5-10.5 x 2-7.5 cm, shallow-lobed, ovate-oblong, somewhat oblique, prickly along nerves, villous above, stellately fulvous-wooly beneath, sub equal at base. Petioles upto 5.5 cm long, hairy, prickly.
• Flowers: Purplish blue in extra-axillary, stellate-hairy, racemose cymes with needle like hairs; pedicels 1-2 cm long, hairy. Calyx campanulate with 5 triangular lobes, upto 0.5 cm long, lobes triangular-ovate. Corolla densely wooly externally with 5 lobes, upto 2 cm long, oblong, acute. Stamens 5 with short filaments and anthers upto 0.8 cm long, linear-oblong. Pistil with hirsute, upto 2.5 cm long ovary, pubescent style upto 1 cm long and acute stigma.
• Fruit: Berries yellow, upto 1 cm long, subglobose, with the calyx lobes persistent. Seeds 0.2-0.3 cm across, almost circular, thin, smooth.

Uses: Vitiated conditions of vata and kapha, odontalgia, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, verminosis, diarrhoea, pruritus, leprosy, skin diseases, strangury, cough, asthma, bronchitis, amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, fever, cardiac disorders and vomiting.

Formulations: Indukanta ghrtam

Agrotechnology:

Climate and soil: They come up very well in tropical and subtropical climate up to 2000 m altitude. They can be raised on a variety of soils good in organic matter.

Propagation: Seeds. The seedlings of 3-4 weeks old are transplanted at 90 cm x 60 cm.

Manures and fertilizers: FYM or compost at 20-25 t/ha is applied during land preparation.