Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Equisetopsida > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Microstachys > M. chamaelea

Description: Erect or diffuse herbs. Leaves alternate, 2-4.5 x 0.7-1 cm, oblong-lanceolate, base obtuse, margin minutely dentate, apex obtuse or acute; petiole to 3 mm long. Flowers in monoecious slender axillary spikes, 1.5-2.5 cm long. Male flowers minute, c. 1.5 mm across in clusters of 3; tepals 5, connate; stamens 2-4, anthers globose. Female flowers solitary at base of spike, c. 1 mm across; tepals 3, ovate; ovary 3-lobed, echinate without; ovule 1 in each cell; style 3, connate at base. Capsule 3-lobed each with two rows of soft prickles on the back, 4-6 mm across. Seeds 1-1.5 mm long, oblong, carunculate.

Flowering and Fruiting : July-December

Uses : A decoction of the leafy stems is used as a bath to relieve teething pain in babies . In India, such a decoction taken with butter is considered a tonic, and is applied to the head as a treatment for vertigo. When cooked together with meat and vegetables, whole young plants are used for giving a speedy recovery to women after giving birth .The plant sap is an astringent tonic that is taken to treat syphilis and diarrhea.

Cultivation : Wild

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org