Scientific name: Alternanthera pungens Kunth
Family: Amaranthaceae
Synonym: Achyranthes leiantha (Seub.) Standl.
Vernacular name in Malayalam: Ottara mul, Thevadiyaal
Habit: Perennial, low-growing, prostrate to spreading herb with stiff, spiny stems.
Habitat: Found in dry, open grasslands, roadsides, and wastelands; often in sandy or rocky soils.
Distribution: Native to tropical America; widely naturalized in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Flowering and Fruiting: Flowers throughout the year; produces small, whitish to pinkish flowers in dense clusters; seeds are tiny achenes.
Key identification features: Stiff, spiny stems; small, narrow, pungent-tipped leaves; clustered small flowers; often forms dense mats on the ground.
Uses: Traditionally used in folk medicine for wounds, inflammation, and skin ailments; sometimes used as ground cover to prevent soil erosion, edible.
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