Cyanotis cristata (L.) D.Don

Petungan (Cyanotis cristata) is a herb 0.1-0.5 meters tall from the Commelinaceae family, a pantropical weed spread from tropical Africa to Indonesia. West Java communities use its leaves and stems as a vegetable, while this plant is traditionally believed effective in addressing snake bites. Petungan is also used as a local seasoning and spice.

Petungan can be found growing in grassy places and sandy areas near the sea. Mainly in dry areas, but can also grow in humid areas, along roadsides, rocky places, at elevations up to 1,000 m asl. Drought-tolerant and able to survive at least 2 weeks without rain or watering. This plant prefers a position in full sun, and well-drained soil conditions and is able to live on less fertile soil.

• Roots fibrous, rooting below the node.
• Stem fleshy, watery, growing prostrate and creeping, branching from the base, at irregular intervals.
• Leaves fleshy, hairy along the margin, changing from green to reddish when exposed to strong sunlight and drought stress, alternate or scattered leaf arrangement, smooth leaf margin, ovate-oblong to lanceolate shape, heart-shaped or round base, sessile.
• Flowers small, corolla 3-lobed, fused into a tube, pale blue to purple, with attractive purple-blue filament styles, has anthers at the tip like a tuft or crest that is yellow. Bracts leafy, ovate-lanceolate, far exceeding the cymes, hairless, tapering leaf tip, ciliate margin, calyx segments fused forming a tube. Inflorescence terminal and axillary, solitary, very curved cymes.
• Fruit an explosive triangular capsule, brown with small seeds and persistent bracts, membranous, nearly hairless, pilose at the tip, usually 6-seeded.
• Seeds ovoid to ellipsoid shape, grayish-brown.

Propagation vegetatively with stem cuttings and generatively using seeds.

Flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, and terpenoids.

Addresses swelling and snake bites, heals wounds, has antioxidant activity.

Djeworan, Gewor, Tali.