Rostellularia procumbens is a small, prostrate herb in the Acanthaceae family, sometimes called water willow, that grows in damp, humid places at higher elevations. It is a low creeping plant rather than a typical garden or houseplant.
Family
Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
Grows as
Annual
Light
Part shade, Bright indirect
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, as it naturally grows in humid habitats.
Soil
Moist, humus-rich soil or a peat-based mix.
Temperature
Warm, subtropical conditions; protect from frost.
Native range
Trop. & Subtrop. Asia to C. China
Climate
subtropical
About
Rostellularia procumbens, commonly known as water willow (Marathi: करंबल, romanized: Karambal, पित्तपापडा, Pitpapada, कलमाशी, Kalmashi,Tamil: கோடகசாலை, romanized: Kōṭakacālai), is a small flowering plant belonging to the Acanthaceae family. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, China, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. It is found in higher elevations, commonly in humid areas.
The leaves' juice can be squeezed in the eyes in cases of ophthalmia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rostellularia procumbens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.