Wholesale Gotu kola

01.
A Bit of Botany

a little botanical information on gotu kola

description
Centella asiatica is a small, herbaceous, annual plant of the family Mackinlayaceae (or as a sub-family of Apiaceae). The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other. It has long-stalked, green, reniform leaves with rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins. The leaves are borne on pericladial petioles, around 2 cm. The rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. They are cream in color and covered with root hairs.

The flowers are pinkish to red in color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil. Each flower is partly enclosed in two green bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size (less than 3 mm), with 5-6 corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and two styles. The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species of Hydrocotyle which have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit.

common names & nomenclature
Centella may be derived from the verb “sip”, which is a reference to how the plant continuously draws water from the marshy areas in which it lives.

Also known as:
marsh penny, thick-leaved pennywort, indian pennywort, white rot, hydrocotyle, indian hydrocotyle, centella, thankuni, mandukaparni, pegagan, sleuk tracheakkranh, ondelaga, vallaarai

02.
Where in the World

habitat and range for gotu kola

Centella asiatica is native to India, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Melanesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and other parts of Asia.

03.
Cultivation & Harvesting

considerations for growing and harvesting gotu kola

climate
Centella asiatica grows in tropical swampy areas, along ditches and in low, wet areas.

soil
Centella asiatica grows in wet, swampy conditions and is considered to be an aquatic plant.

growing
Sow seeds in spring in a greenhouse, transplant out into pots when large enough, plant into the garden in late spring or early summer of the following year. Plants can also be divided in spring or fall, plant divisions directly into the garden beds.

harvesting
Gotu kola leaves and stems can be harvested at any time of the year and are used fresh or dried.

preserving
Store dried leaves and stems as cut pieces or ground powder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

04.
The Rest of the Story

history, folklore, literature & more