Synonyms

• Hymenocallis insignis
• Hymenocallis pedalis
• Hymenocallis tenuiflora

Systematic Position
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Native: Tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas

Common Names
English – Beach spider lily
Malayalam – Kadal thali

Description:It is an evergreen perennial herbaceous plant, growing from an underground bulb, with a cluster of leaves up to 37cm long and a flowering stem up to 60cm tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.

Habitat: Swamps and mangroves, also in grown in gardens.

Distribution:
Karnataka : Dakshina Kannada district
Kerala : All districts of Kerala

Native : Southern Mexico and Central America

Uses: The bulb is astringent, diuretic, emetic and expectorant. It is used to induce vomiting and to treat swellings. The grated bulb is used to extract larvae of skin parasites by applying pulp to the respiratory orifice of the larva in order to smother it. The heated leaves are positioned over the spleen to reduce an hypertrophied spleen.They are also used as an external treatment of malaria and also to treat sprains and swelling.

Others: The leaves are stripped and used to stimulate hair growth