''Strobilanthes alternata'' (synonym ''Hemigraphis alternata''), may be known as red ivy, red-flame ivy, or waffle plant, is a member of the family

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in ...

native to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

. It is a prostrate plant with purple colored leaves.

Description

''Strobilanthes alternata'' is a herb that grows near long. The stems of the plant are prostrate and purplish, especially at the nodes. The leaves are hairy and opposite, and one leaf of a pair is much larger than the other. The leaf blades are dark green on the top face and are lighter green or purplish on the lower face. The flowers of the plant grow from where the leaf meets the stem, and are white with purple penciling.You can call this plant by various names such as Cemetery plant, Purple waffle plant, Murikooti and Ayurveda addresses this plant as Vranaropani (meaning – wound healer). In Kerala, India, we call this herb as Muriyan pacha as it helps to heal wounds faster. This plant is native to the tropical regions of the globe especially tropical Malaysia and South East Asia. This natural herb grows in plenty across India, China, Indonesia, and Japan

Uses

In Indonesia, ''Strobilanthes alternata'' is used to promote urination, check and heal hemorrhages, stop dysentery, and treat venereal diseases. The plant is popular in the United States and rarely the United Kingdom to use in hanging baskets for gardens.The botanical name of Red flame ivy is Hemigraphis colorata Blume.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q55212864, from2=Q3711218 Acanthaceae Plants described in 1768 Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman