Unbranched or sparsely branched shrublet to 65 cm tall. Stem to 7 mm diam., flexuous; rooting system with a taproot or up to five major tough roots. Bark finely fissured. Leafy shoots cicatrose, the leaves forming an apical rosette. Indumentum of vegetative parts a mixture of simple and bifid or sometimes stellate distally-pointing hairs, most dense on innovations. Leaves imparipinnate, to 26 cm long; petiole 1.5–5.5 cm, ± terete, pubescent. Leaflets (3, 5) 7 or 9 (11), the apical the largest, to 9 by 4 cm, ovate to obovalte or subrhomboidal, the most proximal the smallest, to c. 4 by 2 cm, oval to orbicular, scattered stellate-pubescent adaxially, with denser mixed simple and bifid hairs abaxially, esp. on veins, or both surfaces thus, apex acute to acuminate; base asymmetric, cuneate in apical leaflet to rounded or subcordate in most proximal; margin entire to ± dentate, serrate or even lobed halfway to midrib in distal half; petiolule to 1.5 cm on apical leaflet, 0–4 mm elsewhere; nerves c. 4 on each side, arcuate, sometimes anastomosing well away from margin. Thyrses 2.5–15(–25) cm long, pubescent with up to 25 flowers, opening a few at a time, sometimes scented, pedicels 1–2 mm, densely hairy; bracts c. 2.5 mm long, subulate or narrowly triangular, densely hairy. Pseudopedicel c. 5 mm long, pubescent. Calyx lobes 5–7 mm long, spatulate, patent, pubescent on both surfaces. Corolla white, tube (10–)12–17 mm long, lobes 10–18 mm long, spatulate, 6–7 mm wide at broadest, acute, hairy abaxially; midvein conspicuous. Staminal tube free for apical 6–10 mm, simple hairy within (and sometimes without), margin with 10 entire appendages reflexed at anthesis; anthers yellow-brown, with short apical appendices. Disk 2–3 mm tall, cylindrical to conical, finely simple hairy. Ovary finely simple-hairy; style simple-hairy in proximal half, stylehead yellow-brown. Capsule c. 1–1.2 cm diam., depressed-globose, strongly 5-ribbed, sparsely stellate-hairy. Seeds brown.
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Shrublets (5-)10-50 cm, erect. Stems usually not branched, glabrous or apical part covered with appressed puberulence, glabrescent. Leaves odd-pinnate, usually aggregated apically on stem; rachis puberulent; petiole 1.5-4 cm, puberulent; leaflets (3 or)5-9(or more), 8-12 cm; leaflet blades oblong, ovate, elliptic, obovate, or suborbicular, 0.5-7.5 × 0.3-3 cm, basal ones smallest and increasing in size along rachis to apex with apical leaflet distinctly larger, membranous to thickly papery, abaxially sparsely puberulent but more densely so along veins, adaxially glabrous or very sparsely hispid between veins and puberulent along veins, secondary veins ca. 5 on each side of midvein and slender, base oblique and cuneate to rounded, margin entire or with sparse obtuse teeth or shallowly pinnately lobed; lateral leaflets subsessile, smaller than terminal leaflet, apex rounded, obtuse, or acuminate; terminal leaflet petiolulate, usually basally and apically more attenuate than lateral leaflets. Inflorescence axillary, 1-or few flowered in a raceme; peduncle 5-10 mm, puberulent. Pedicel to 5-12 mm, bracteolate, puberulent. Calyx 5-lobed to near base; lobes linear to lanceolate, 1.5-3 mm, apex acuminate. Corolla white; tube 1.3-4 cm, sparsely puberulent or glabrous; lobes alternate with anthers, oblong, oblanceolate, or lanceolate, 1-2 cm, apex acute. Staminal tube to 4 cm, slightly exserted, base adnate to corolla tube, apical margin with linearly lacerate teeth; anthers ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm, lanulose, apex acuminate. Ovary puberulent; style ± as long as filament tube, glabrous or basally puberulent. Capsule oblate, 6-7 mm in diam., sparsely stellate puberulent. Seeds yellowish gray. Fl. Apr-Nov.
UsesMunronia pinnata is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a substitute for chiretta (Swertia spp., Gentianaceae) in the treatment of fevers and dysentery; of all native plant drugs in Sri Lanka it commands the highest price and has been used in the treatment of leprosy and other skin diseases. The whole plant is uprooted and dried to give the commercial materia medica. Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees (Acanthaceae) is, in turn, used as a cheaper substitute for M. pinnata.
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