Description

Dwarf morning-glory commonly known as slender dwarf morning-glory, is flowering plant from the family Convolvulaceae. It has a natural pantropical distribution encompassing tropical and warm-temperate regions of Australasia, Indomalaya, Polynesia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. It is a herbaceous plant, annual or perennial, with more or less numerous, prostrate or ascending stems, slender, with appressed and spreading hairs. The leaves, petiolate or subsessile, are 0.7 to 2.5 cm long and 5 to 10 mm long.

Characteristics:

This is a very slender, more or less branched, spreading or ascending, usually extremely hairy herb. The stems are 20 to 70 centimeters long, and not twining. The leaves, which are densely clothed with appressed, white, and silky hairs, are variable clothed, lanceolate to ovate, and usually 0.5 to 1 centimeter in length (but may be larger); the apex is blunt with a little point and the base is pointed. The flowers are pale blue and 6-8 mm in diameter. The fruit (capsule) is rounded, and usually contains 4 seeds. Dwarf Morning Glory is native to the South America, and is widely naturalized all over the world, including India. The flowers are isolated or grouped in pauciflorous cymes , borne by filiform peduncles, 2.5 to 3.5 cm long. The calyx is formed by villous, lanceolate sepals 3 to 4 mm long. The rounded corolla, with pentameric symmetry, blue in color, rarely white, is 7 to 10 mm in diameter. The stamens , with filiform filaments, are united at the base of the corolla tube. The ovary, glabrous, is surmounted by two free styles. The fruit is a globular capsule, with four valves, generally containing four seeds that are black and smooth.

Medicinal Uses:

The whole plant is used in the Goa territory. It is used extensively as a febrifuge and tonic. With cumin and milk it is used for fevers nervous debility, and loss of memory; also for syphilis, scrofula, etc. it is said to be a sovereign remedy for bowel complaints, especially dysentery. It is used extensively as a febrifuge and tonic. With cumin and milk it is used for fevers nervous debility, and loss of memory; also for syphilis, scrofula, etc. it is said to be a sovereign remedy for bowel complaints, especially dysentery.