Common Name: Wild spider flower, Cat whiskers. Tamil Name: Nal velai
Cat whiskers is a very common annual seen on road-sides and fallow lands in Tamilnadu. It grows to a height of about 2 feet and has a stinky smell. The leaves are edible but not commonly consumed. The entire plant is slightly hairy and has purple patches on its green stem. The leaves are arranged alternatively. The leaf size near the flowering portion are found to be trifoliate and very small; the leaves at the bottom are bigger and digitate with 5-7 segments. The leaf stalk is hairy and measure around 2.8 cm. The inflorescence is in the form of a terminal or axillary raceme. The calyx has four sepal segments. The petals are four in number, white in color, each petal measures around 1 cm and are obovate in shape. The flower has 6 long stamens that stand out like cat whiskers. The fruit is in the form of a capsule; the capsule stalk is rusty in color and measure around 4.5 cm. The pods change color from green to black as they mature. It encloses several tiny black colored seeds which measure around 1-2 mm.
