Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankajoudhia@gmail.com
www.pankajoudhia.com
Copyright © 2004. All Rights Reserved. Quotation from this document should cite and acknowledge the contributor.
Khareti or Bala (Sida cordifolia Linn.)
Scientific Name: Sida cordifolia Linn.
Family: Malvaceae
English Name: Country Mallow
Hindi Name: Khareti, Bala, Barial, Kumghi.
Botanical differences among the major species of Sida in India.
S. cordifolia | S. acuta syn. S. carpinifolia |
S. alba syn. S. spinosa |
S. ovata syn. S. grewioides |
S. rhommbifolia | S. tiagii | |
Plant | An erect, perennial undershrub, upto 1m. Tall | A much branched undershrub, 1-2 m tall | An erect undershrub, densely stellately pubescent all over | An erect shrub or undershrub, | An erect undershurb | A low, much branched, perennial undershrub, densely stellately-tomentose all over |
Stem | Ascending, terete or sulcate, softly villious and densely stellate-pubescent all over | Glabrous or minutely stellately hairy, usually woody at the base | grey, tomentose, with stellate hairs | Stellately hairy, sulcate | Terete or sulcate, woody at base | |
Leaves | Ovate or ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute at apex | Lanceolate or elliptic lanceolate, base obtuse or roundish, apex acute | Elliptic oblong, lanceolate or ovate, obtuse or rounded at apex | Elliptic-oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse at apex | Oblong to lanceolate, rhomboid, cunneate, obtuse or rarely acute at apex | Ovate-oblong to obovate, roudned, entire, rounded or truncate at apex |
Flowers | Yellow, peduncles, axillary, jointed much above the panicles, upper flowers nearly sessile and fasciculate towards the tip of the branches forming subspicate inflorescence | Petals pale yellow, ciliate | Fascicled in the axil of leaves, rarely solitary, Corolla white | Petals yellow | Petals yellow | Pale yellow |
Fruits | Subdiscoid, 6-8 mm across, mericarps 10, 3 sided | Mericarps 5-6, 4 mm long, reticulately serrate | Mericarps 5, more or less finely reticulate | Mericarps 7-8, nearly glabrous | mericarps 8-12, pubescent | Pentagular ovoid, Mericarps 7-8 |
Seeds | Trigonous, glabours, tufted-pubescent near the hilum | Smooth glabrous, but pubscent around hilum | Smooth, dark brown, rounded at back, trigonous, glabous | Brown, smooth, with stellate hairs near the hilum | Smooth, glabrous, except for the pubescent area near the hilum | Black, glabrous with tufts of stellate hairs at hilum |
Flowering & Fruiting Time | Sept.-Dec. in Indian conditions | Sept-Oct. in Indian conditions | Sept.-Jan. in Indian conditions | Oct.-Jan. in Indian conditions | Aug.-Oct. in Indian conditions | Aug.-Dec. in Indian conditions |
General Description: It grows as wasteland weed. It is in use as folk medicine in India since time immemorial.
Useful Parts: Root, bark, leaves, flowers and seeds.
Traditional Medicinal Uses: According to Ayurveda, the plant is tonic, astringent, emollient, aphrodisiac and useful in treatment of respiratory system related troubles. Bark is considered as cooling. It is useful in blood, throat, urinary system related troubles, piles, phthisis, insanity etc.
Ayurvedic Preparations: Maha baladi Kvatha, Bala Taila etc.
References
Agharkar, S.P. (1991). Medicinal plants of Bombay presidency. Pbl. Scientific
publishers, Jodhpur, India : 194-195.
Bhandari, M.M. (1990). Flora of Indian desert. Pbl. MPS Repros, Jodhpur, India
: 66-69.
Resource Person
Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankajoudhia@gmail.com
archive.org/details/pankajoudhia
www.youtube.com/user/pankajoudhia?feature=results_main
www.flickr.com/photos/pankajoudhia/
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Last modified: July 15 2020 by aw