Cleome viscosa L.
Vernacular name: Wild Dog Mustard, Sticky Cleome, Jungli Hur-Hur (Hindi: जंगली हुरहुर)
Species Name: Cleome viscosa L.
Family: Cleomaceae
Habit: Erect, profusely branched annual herb, commonly occurring as a weed.
Stem: Erect, angular, 30–100 cm tall, densely covered with stalked glandular hairs, giving the plant a sticky and often strong-smelling character.
Leaf: Alternate, petiolate, palmately 3–5-foliolate; leaflets obovate to elliptic or spathulate, up to about 4 cm long, ciliate and glandular-pubescent.
Flowering: Mainly March–July; flowering and fruiting may extend over a longer period depending on locality.
Flowers: Yellow, bisexual, about 1–1.5 cm across, borne in lax terminal racemes; sepals 4, lanceolate and glandular-hairy; petals 4; stamens usually 10–20; ovary superior, bicarpellary, oblong-cylindrical.
Fruit: Linear-oblong, glandular-hairy capsule, about 3.5–7.5 cm long, containing numerous small, dark brown, transversely ridged seeds.
Uses:
- Tropical application of extracts of crushed leaves are used to treat slow-healing wounds, cuts and skin ulcers.
- Traditional remedies uses plant for its anti-inflammation property to treat headaches, joint swellings and rheumatism.
- Leave juice is used to relieve ear aches and to discharge pus.
- Seed decoction acts as anthelmintic and carminatives.
- Folk medicines uses plants for febrifuge and antimicrobial agent.
- Traditionally used as a medicinal herb, while its leaves and seeds have also been used locally for food and animal feed.
- Pungent seeds also known as jakhya provides mustard like flavor to pulses, curries and vegetables.
- Crushes leaves are used as natural insecticides and protect stored seeds from weevil infestations.
- Seeds yield oil that can be used for cooking.
