Torenia cordifolia

Description

Indian Wishbone Flower is an annual herb,15-20 cm tall,sparsely white hairy.Stems are erect,branched from base;branches decussate,rising,base sparsely diffuse.Leaf-stalks are 0.8-1.5 cm long.Leaves are ovate to heart-shaped,2.5-3.5 cm long,1.5-2.5 cm wide,sparsely hairy,base wedge-shaped and forming wings on the stalk,margin coarsely triangular-toothed.Flowers are borne in groups of 3-5,fascicles in leaf axils.Bracts are linear,about 5 mm.Flower-stalks are 1.5-2 cm long,often ascending.Sepal cup is ovate-oblong,about 1.3 X 0.7 cm,base flat to somewhat rounded,never extending into the stalk,5-winged.Wings are about 2 mm wide,sometimes upper wing about 1 mm wide.Lips are triangular,5 lobes becoming evident in fruit.Flowers are blue-purple,1.3-2 cm long,lower lip lobes nearly equal.Upper lip is wider than long,margin somewhat involute,tip entire or notched.Anterior stamens appendages are toothlike to threadlike.Capsule is oblong,about 9 X 4 mm.Indian Wishbone Flower is found in the Himalayas,from Punjab to Bhutan,Burma,and China,at altitudes of 1000-1600 m.Flowering: September-November.