Common name: Tranquebar spur anther flower.
This orobachaceae member is a small herb that grows to around 10-12 cm in height. Mostly found around rocky shallow areas filled with slush and water. The plant is vigorously branched below towards the upper end generally only on stem appears. The flower are mostly borne on the upper parts of the plant. The entire plant has a rough bristly feel. The simple leafs are arranged in an opposite manner, however towards the top end of the plant the leaf arrangement is alternate. The leafs are sessile, lanceolate, dotted with glands and measure around 1.5 cm in length. Young leaves have a rusty-black look. The flowers are axillary, single, bi-lipped, tubular, zygomorphic and bisexual. The 5 toothed calyx is inflated and hispid. The flowers are whitish and towards the mouth of the flower there are pink or lilac marking. In some flowers the flower tube is yellow. The plant is a hemi-parasitic hence partially dependent on other plants for water and nutrition. The preferred host plant are generally grass typically species like Aristida sp. Genus Centranthera consists of about 10 species, they are mostly herbaceous, have funnel shaped solitary flowers that are bi-lipped with 4 stamens in didynamous arrangement. It is the larval host plant for Blue pansy and Slate flash butterflies.
