Chinigura or Sweet broomweed, Scoparia dulcis

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Chinigura or Sweet broomweed (Scoparia dulcis, family: Plantaginaceae) is an annual upright herb with sweet-tasted leaves and several branches. It does not reach a height of more than 1 m. It loves to grow in wet soil. The plant is usually found in fallow land and roadside area in Bangladesh. The herb is native to tropical America and it gradually spreads throughout the tropics.

Other names: Bon dhoney, Bon dhuni, Furfuri, Chinipata, Chiniguri, Michhridana, Bonduni.


Sweet-tasted leaves are light green in color, obovoid-lanceolate with deeply serrated edge; 2-5 cm long, opposite.


Flowers are small, white; bloom as pair or single, .3-.5 cm wide, pedicel quite long; sepals 4, petals 4. Flowering occurs in  May-July.


The fruits look a lot like coriander. these are capsule, almost round, .5 cm in diametre. Dried fruits deep brown in color remain on the plant for several days. Seeds are round. It is propagated by seeds. 


The leaves and flowers are stomachic. These are effective in dysentery and diabetes. Its leaves and young shoots are eaten as vegetables somewhere.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 17, 2020 at 6:46 AM

    I never seen it before until this season. Accidentally I have seen it in my garden and through Google Lens it is learnt that the weed is called chinigura in Bangladesh.
    Thank you for the detailed information about chinigura.

    ReplyDelete

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