I came across this interesting plant on the way to Ghati Subramanya.
Plant Summary:
Common Names are Unicorn Plant, Tiger Claw Plant, Devils claw, and Cat’s claw. Botanical name is Martynia annua, and belongs to family Martyniaceae.
Devil’s Claw plant is hardy and grows wildly to a height of 2 meters. All parts of the plant are interesting. The leaves are heart shaped, hairy, and huge. The flowers bloom during summer and are bell shaped, purplish white with dark purple stains. They are tubular in shape, 4 to 6 cm long. They are pollinated by bees. Claw like seed pods is another unique feature of this plant.
The seed pods look like a claw and hence the origin of the name of the plant.
Propagation:
It can be grown using seeds. Plant in full sunlight in fertilized well drained soil. They can tolerate dry conditions.