Ruta graveolens - Sitaba

Sitaba, Ruta graveolens

'Sitaba is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 0.50 metres tall. It has edible, medicinal and miscellaneous uses. All parts of this plant are poisonous in large quantities. It should not be used at all by pregnant women since it can induce abortions. The sap contains furanocoumarins, sensitizing the skin to light and causing blistering or dermatitis in sensitive people.

Uses

Improves digestion strength, Amenorrhoea, Worm infestation, Giddiness

Parts Used

Leaf

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	haavu nanjina gida, naagadaali, sudabu
Hindi	pismarum, sadab, satap
Malayalam	aruta, somarayam
Tamil	arooda, aruta, enneymuriyillai
Telugu	arudu, sadapa, sadapaka, sadapaku
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	guchhapatra, sadapaha, pitapushpa, vishapaha, sarpadanshta
English	Common Rue

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Teekshna (Strong)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Pitta

Habit

{{Habit|Shrub}

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
pinnate	alternate	Leaves strong smelling, alternate, pyramidal or oblong, 3-8 cm long; leaflets subsessile, obovate or elliptic, entire or obscurely crenate at margin, obtuse at apex.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	Inflorescences dichasial	Yellow	8-10	6-12 cm across; bracts leafy, lanceolate, narrow at base, entire or crenate, acuminate, 5-7.5 x 2-2.5 mm; pedicels ca 8-10 mm long, glabrous. Flowers 8-10 mm across. Sepals 4, ovate, entire or crenate, ca 4 x 2 mm, green. Petals 4, spatulate, fimbriate, hooded at apex, ca 6 x 4 mm, yellow. Stamens 8 or 10; filaments linear, 5.5-7 mm long, glabrous; anthers ovoid and dorsifixed. Disc 8-10 lobed, ca 1 x 4 mm. Ovary subglobose; carpels 4 or 5, free to middle; ovules 2 or 3 in each locule, collateral; style ca 3.5 mm long; stigma capitate, lobed.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Capsule	6-8 mm across	Capsules 4 or 5 lobed, 1 or 2 seeded		seeds ca 2 mm long, angled, pitted and brown.	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area, Sub tropical area

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External Links

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