Cynarospermum

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Cynarospermum asperrimum (2972149836).jpg

|image_caption =

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = Gadkari, A. 2022. [https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/219675705/219675797 Cynarospermum asperrimum]. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T219675705A219675797. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T219675705A219675797.en. Accessed 29 January 2024.

|genus = Cynarospermum

|parent_authority = Vollesen (1999)

|species = asperrimum

|authority = (Nees) Vollesen (1999)

|synonyms =

• Blepharis asperrima {{small|Nees (1847)}}
• Justicia aspera {{small|Perr. ex Nees (1847), pro syn.}}

|synonyms_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1008154-1 Cynarospermum Vollesen]. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

}}

Cynarospermum asperrimum is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Acanthaceae. It is a subshrub endemic to the Western Ghats of western India. It is the sole species in genus Cynarospermum.{{cite web |title=Cynarospermum Vollesen {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1008154-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |access-date=21 March 2021 |language=en}}

Cynarospermum asperrimum is a scrambling or trailing perennial herb, with multiple branches and stems up to 1 meter long. Stems can root in contact with soil. It flowers during the monsoon and post-monsoon season, and attracts several species of butterflies for pollination.

It is locally common in the foothills and hill ranges of the Western Ghats in southern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka states. It grows abundantly in partly-shaded and moist areas, including shrub savannas, forest edges, partly-shaded roadsides, and bunds between fields. It is easily cultivated in pots and gardens.