Trapa natans bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino

Flowering: October-November. Fruiting: October-March

Flowering & Fruiting during October to March.

An aquatic floating herb with dimorphic leaves. The submerged leaves are modified into thread like segments and floating leaves are in rosettes like segments, green and rhomboid. Flowers are white, close to surface of water. Fruits are single seeded, hard obovoid with two short beak and lateral sharp spines. Dark brown or black when ripe. It is most common in all ponds and beels of the state

An aquatic floating herb, leaves dimorphic; submerged leaves are modified into thread like segments,floating leaves in rossetes like segments, green & rhomboid. Flowers white, close to the surface of water. Fruit single seeded hard obovoid with two short beak and lateral sharp spines. Dark brown or black when ripe. It is most common in all ponds and beels of the state

Notes: Aquatic, cultivated , found in ponds

Ponds, ditches, puddles

The fruit is eaten raw, roasted or cooked

Nutritional Value

Energy 5 calories; total fat 0.06gm; carbohydrate 12.3 gm; dietry fibres 2.5 gm; sugar 2.46 gm; protein 0.88 gm; sodium 8mg; potassium 118mg per 100 gms of the fruit plup

Seeds are is eaten either raw or cooked.

Considered to have aphrodisiac, astringent, anti-pyretic, anti-diarrheal and appetizing properties. Also consumed as tonic. Widely used in Unani medicine in cases of sexual debility, fatigue, tuberculosis, intermittent fevers, dysentery, dry cough, bleeding disorders, anal fissure and sore throat etc