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In [[folk medicine]]<ref>[http://www.saintlucianplants.com/floweringplants/acanthaceae/rueltube/rueltube.html Roger Graveson's The Plants of Saint Lucia: Acanthaceae]</ref> and [[Ayurvedic medicine]]<ref>H. Panda, ''Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses'', National Institute of Industrial Research, 2002, {{ISBN|81-86623-63-9}}</ref> it has been used as a [[diuretic]], [[anti-diabetic]], [[antipyretic]], [[analgesic]], [[antihypertensive]], [[Peptic ulcer#Treatment|gastroprotective]], and to treat [[gonorrhea]].<ref>Lans C.A., ''Ethnomedicine as used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus;'' J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 200</ref> It is also used as a [[natural dye]] for textiles.<ref>[http://it.science.cmu.ac.th/ejournal/modules/journal/file/11-01-25-9dfcd.pdf Effect of Chitosan and Mordants on Dyeability of Cotton Fabrics with Ruellia tuberosa Linn.]</ref>
In [[folk medicine]]<ref>[http://www.saintlucianplants.com/floweringplants/acanthaceae/rueltube/rueltube.html Roger Graveson's The Plants of Saint Lucia: Acanthaceae]</ref> and [[Ayurvedic medicine]]<ref>H. Panda, ''Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses'', National Institute of Industrial Research, 2002, {{ISBN|81-86623-63-9}}</ref> it has been used as a [[diuretic]], [[anti-diabetic]], [[antipyretic]], [[analgesic]], [[antihypertensive]], [[Peptic ulcer#Treatment|gastroprotective]], and to treat [[gonorrhea]].<ref>Lans C.A., ''Ethnomedicine as used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus;'' J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 200</ref> It is also used as a [[natural dye]] for textiles.<ref>[http://it.science.cmu.ac.th/ejournal/modules/journal/file/11-01-25-9dfcd.pdf Effect of Chitosan and Mordants on Dyeability of Cotton Fabrics with Ruellia tuberosa Linn.]</ref>

It also has the unique property of exploding when in contact with water.


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 22:37, 5 March 2018

Ruellia tuberosa
A dry popping pod in a tree.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
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Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
R. tuberosa
Binomial name
Ruellia tuberosa
Synonyms
  • Cryphiacanthus barbadensis Nees
  • Dipteracanthus clandestinus C.Presl[1]
  • Ruellia clandestina L.[2]
  • Ruellia picta (Lodd. et al.)

Ruellia tuberosa, also known as minnieroot,[3] fever root, snapdragon root and sheep potato (Template:Lang-th), is a species of flowering plant in the Acanthaceae family. Its native range is in Central America but presently it has become naturalized in many countries of tropical South and Southeast Asia.[4]

Some butterfly species, like the lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias) and the mangrove buckeye (Junonia genoveva), feed on the leaves of Ruellia tuberosa.

Description and properties

It is a small biennial plant with thick fusiform tuberous roots and striking funnel-shaped violet-colored flowers. Its fruit is a 2 cm long sessile capsule containing about 20 seeds. Some of the names of the plant such as popping pod, duppy gun and cracker plant come from the fact that children like to play with the dry pods that pop when rubbed with spit or water.[5]

Ruellia tuberosa may be found in moist and shady environments. It grows, however, preferably in grasslands and roadsides —often as a weed in cultivated fields, and also in xerophile and ruderal habitats.[6]

In folk medicine[7] and Ayurvedic medicine[8] it has been used as a diuretic, anti-diabetic, antipyretic, analgesic, antihypertensive, gastroprotective, and to treat gonorrhea.[9] It is also used as a natural dye for textiles.[10]

It also has the unique property of exploding when in contact with water.

See also

Pods crack in water with pop sound. A dry pod can pop within 1 to 3 seconds.
  • 21540 Itthipanyanan, an asteroid named after the author of an award-winning study on Ruellia tuberosa

References

  1. ^ Ruellia tuberosa en PlantList
  2. ^ Ruellia tuberosa – Minnie Root
  3. ^ NRCS. "Ruellia tuberosa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  4. ^ Yang Mekar ditamanku – Fever Root; Ruellia tuberosa, Linn.
  5. ^ Jeannette Allsopp, Dictionary of Caribbean English usage, University of the West Indies Press, 2003, ISBN 978-976-640-145-0
  6. ^ Ruellia tuberosa – Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
  7. ^ Roger Graveson's The Plants of Saint Lucia: Acanthaceae
  8. ^ H. Panda, Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses, National Institute of Industrial Research, 2002, ISBN 81-86623-63-9
  9. ^ Lans C.A., Ethnomedicine as used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus; J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 200
  10. ^ Effect of Chitosan and Mordants on Dyeability of Cotton Fabrics with Ruellia tuberosa Linn.