Common name: Mountain knot grass. Tamil name: Ciru-pulvai, Ulinai.
Moutain knot grass is a woody herb/sub-shrub abundantly seen in dry fallow lands and road-sides of Tamilnadu. It is a strongly rooted plant with spreading tendency but can go upright to around 2 feet in height. The plant is covered with soft wooly white hairs which gives the whole plant a silvery sheen. The simple leafs are arranged in an alternate manner, the leafs are circular and measure around 2.5 to 3 cm in length. This plant is native to the Asian and African continent. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary spike panicle measuring around 10 cm in length. The sessile flowers are very tiny with five tepals and five stamens. They measure around 1-2 mm across. The crushed root of the plant emits “camphor ” like smell. It is an important medicinal plant with various applications. It is deployed in local medical systems as a diuretic and to treat Kidney stones. It is one among the sacred flower as described in “Dasapushpam” (sacred flower).
