Krambilan (Biophytum sensitivum)

Krambilan (Biophytum sensitivum) is a plant species in Oxalidaceae, annual shrubs that grow 5-25 cm tall, woody base, long stems, slender, strong, simple, greenish brown, at the top covered by thick hair, widely used as a treatment and plant ornamental in pots.

B. sensitivum has 10-15 leaves at the top of the stem at a red spot, rachis slender and covered by thick hair. The leaflet has 6-14 pairs, obovate-oval or oblong, 3-15 mm long, 2-7 mm wide, almost symmetrical, usually smooth and sometimes covered with trichomes.

Some flower clusters emerge from the end of the stem with a stalk having a length of 2-7 cm. Some bracts are lancet and are densely arranged at the top of the stem with a 3 mm cluster. Pedicels are 3 mm in fruit but 1 mm when the flowers bloom.

Sepals with trichate septate and size 5-6 mm. Petals are longer than sepals and yellow. The capsule is covered with hair, 4-5 mm long. 3-4 mm wide and ellipsoid-obovoid shaped.

Krambilan is rich in amentoflavone, cupressuflavone and isoorientin compounds which are widely used as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, radioprotective, chemoprotective, antiangiogenetic, wound healing, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic and cardioprotective.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Oxalidaceae
Genus: Biophytum
Species: Biophytum sensitivum

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