A perennial, woody, small herbaceous plant that can reach 60–80 cm in height. Bright green leaves with 8-10 cm long stalks; small shrub. The edges of the leaves are furrowed and veined, and they look like jute leaves. The lower surface of the leaves has thin, white hairs. The scientific name of the plant is Turnera subulata; it belongs to the Passifloraceae family. Jhumkolata is also a member of this family. These plants bloom profusely in the spring and summer. But in tropical climates, flowers bloom almost year-round.
The stems of these plants can spread over large areas by branching. When the branches become too long, the plant branches fall to the ground. Plants bloom and blossom when given enough water and sunlight. Flowers are beautiful, bright, and 5 cm in diameter. The five petals are bright white or cream in color. Along with this ring is the honey gland. The base of the petals is bright yellow. The yellow base of the petals has black spots. These spots are accompanied by honey glands. Stamens are yellow in color and clearly visible. The flower petals are very thin. The life span of the flower is only five hours. In the afternoon, the flowers become silent in the strong light of the sun. This flower is derisively called Banker’s Flower and Politician’s Flower as it blooms for a short period of time.
This species has two forms of flowers—thrum and pin. The stamens of thrum flowers are shorter, and larger pollen grains are produced from the anthers located at the mouth of the floral tube. The pistil of the pin flower is long, and small pollen grains are produced from the anthers located in the tube. Flowers cannot self-pollinate, so this variation in stamen length is required for effective pollination of flowers. Both flowers produce the same amount of pollen.
These flowers attract birds, bees, and insects to the garden with their bright colors and thus help pollinate other plants. Once pollinated, after fertilization the flowers produce small, hairy fruits, which contain seeds. White Basanti seeds are dispersed by ants. Because the lipid-rich appendages on its seeds are the favorite food of ants. Ants carry these edible seeds home. Thus, the seeds are transported away. Seedlings grow from there.
The White Basanti is native to Central and South America. Later, this plant spread to Indonesia, Malaysia, India, the Pacific Islands and Caribbean Islands, and Florida. Now this plant grows in warm weather in many countries, including Bangladesh. The plants have become very popular as they are hardy and flower well with very little care. In the garden, they can be grown as border or hedge plants. They can also be beautifully placed in hanging tubs or baskets, with the branches spreading beautifully around. This plant needs regular watering. The plant is partially tolerant of drought, poor soil, and extreme weather conditions. When the stems become long, the tree should be pruned. It is propagated by seeds and stems.
White buttercup has medicinal uses in the treatment of colds, heart disease, skin diseases, menstrual pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and inflammation.