Lindernia montana

Lindernia montana is a plant species in the Linderniaceae family.^[1] It is most commonly seen in China, where many plants are named according to their appearances. Since Lindernia montana resembles the tail of dogs, so its Chinese name is “Gou Mao Cao”, which has the meaning of “grass that looks like dog`s furs”. For its unique appearance, its profile was once popularly printed on china, especially during the Ming Dynasty.

Distribution and habitat

Lindernia montana is a plant native to the southern part of China such as Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces. It can also be found in other South Asian countries such as India and Indonesia. It grows in spring and summer at places where the altitude ranges from 900 to 1400 meters. At places such as deserted fields, hills where there is plenty of sunshine, damp valleys, edge of forests, and sides of rivers, it can most likely be found.

Appearance

Lindernia montana often grows to the height of 20 to 40 centimeters. It is covered by white glittering setas. Its stems crookedly crawl in soil. There are large space between every two stem joints. Its fringing roots grow on these joints. Linder-nia montana (Bl) Koord has few branches. Its leaves always grow in pairs and almost have no petiole. The size and shape of its leaves vary a lot. The size can be 2 to 6 centimeters long and 0.7 to 2.5 centimeters in width. And the shape can be shape of niddle, or even the shape of egg. The bottom of its leave is wedge-shaped or heart-shaped, while the top of it is short and needle-shaped. The edge of its leave is zigzaged. And every side of it is covered by little white hairs. The flower of Lindernia montana usually grows on top of its stem and is generally small. It mostly grows in groups and is umbrella-shaped, but sometimes also grows solitarily. The flower is about 2.5 centimeters long, with white soft hairs. The stamen is divided into 5 shares which have the shape of needle. The corolla is purple or yellowish white, having the length of about 1 centimeter. The fruit of Lindernia montana is oval and is shorter than its calyx. The flowering phase can last 7 to 10 months, while the fruiting phase last 9 to 11 months.

Use

Lindernia montana is a herb commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.^[2] It is thought to have the function of clearing heat and toxic materials in the body, invigorating the circulation of blood, and eliminating swelling. So it is widely used to cure diseases like acute mastitis, swelling caused by skin ulcer and traumatic injuries.

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