Question

Botanical name of Makhana is
A) Fagopyrum esculentum
B) Pennisetum typhoides
C) Euryale ferox
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Makhana are also known as the water lily pops as they are obtained from the seeds of Gorgon Plant or prickly water lily plant. It is a flowering plant belonging to the family, Nymphaeaceae.

Complete answer:
Euryale ferox is commonly known as Makhana in India. It belongs to the genus Euryale. It is found in the native regions of southern Asia, eastern Asia and in India. Euryale ferox is the only known extant species of genus Euryale. It is a perennial plant. Euryale ferox is distinct from other water lilies as it is characterized by the pollen grains having three nuclei. The plant produces edible seeds which are white in color having starch as a form of carbohydrate.
On the other hand, Fagopyrum esculentum is the botanical name of common buckwheat while Pennisetum typhoides is the botanical name of pearl millet.

So the correct answer is option “C” that is the botanical name of makhana is Euryale ferox.

Note: Euryale ferox which is also known as Gorgon plant or makhana or Prickly Water Lily is a floating plant having flat, large, deeply veined round leaves. It grows through a short rhizome which may go to 5 metres depth. It forms a large leaves rosette covered with spines. On becoming mature, they float on the water surface. The plant is also known to be used as a conventional oriental medication for treating problems relating to kidney and various other diseases like chronic diarrhea, spleen hypofunctioning and excessive leucorrhea.