Amrul

Amrul

Scientific name: Oxalis corniculata L.

English names: Indian Sorrel, Creeping Wood-sorrel, Yellow Sorrel.

Local names: Amrul, AmrulSak, Amboli, Chuka Tripoli.

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1981)

Botanical Description

A perennial, procumbent herb with long, slender, creeping stem, rooting at the nodes. Stem adpressed pubescent.

Leaves palmately 3-foliolate. petioles 1-9 cm long, slender, pubescent, stipules oblong, adnate to the petiole, leaflets obcordate, 1.0-1.8 cm long, 0.5-2.0 cm broad at the broadest point, cuneate at the base, subsessile, glabrous or with few adpressed hairs and with ciliate margin,

Inflorescence: Peduncles 2.5-9.0 cm long, puberulous, 1-5 flowered, pedicels 0.5-0.8 cm long, pubescent, bracts 2 to several, subopposite to whorled, ovate-lanceolate, puberulous. Sepals 5, 0.2-0.4 cm long, oblong, obtuse to acute, adpressed hairy without. Petals 5, 0.4-0.5 cm long, spathulate to oblanceolate, apex rounded to emarginate, yellow with lighter base.

Androecium: Stamens 10, in 2 whorls of 5 each, more or less glabrous, the longer outer c 0.4 cm long, provided with teeth, the shorter c 0.3 cm long, anthers dorsifixed.

Gynoecium: Carpels 5, united, ovary 5-lobed, 5-celled, styles 5, c 0.4 cm long, minutely ciliate, stigmas small, flattened, minutely papillose.

Fruits: Capsules 1.5-2.0 x 0.2-0.4 cm, linear-oblong, 5-anglcd, shortly beaked, tomentose.

Seeds: Seeds 1.2-1.6 x 0.4-1.0 mm, numerous,   brown,   broadly   ovoid,   acute, transversely   ribbed,   aril   ejaculatory,   often remaining attached to the seed.

Economic Importance: The plant is very rich in ascorbic, dehydro-ascorbic, glyoxalic and phosphoric acids; it also contains tartaric, citric and malic acids. It is a good source of calcium. The plant is known to possess antibacterial activity. The leaves   are   cooling,   refrigerant,   astringent, appetising, diuretic and antiscorbutic, and used in fevers and biliousness.