Iphigenia magnifica Ansari & Rolla Rao

Magnificent Grass Lily, scientifically known as Iphigenia magnifica Ansari & Rolla Rao is a small perennial herb which is endemic to India and is found mainly in Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. It belongs to family Colchicaceae, and is considered as an important source of Colchicine. In medicine, it is used to treat painful ear perforation and the oil prepared from its bulbs is used against snake bites and migraine. Despite such important medicinal properties, there is almost no work carried out to scientifically validate its medical potency. Due to its appearance the species can be commonly misidentified. To solve this, problem, a lot of anatomical as well as phytochemical analytical data of I. magnifica are recorded. Cytological work is also carried out along with the efforts to enhance colchicine production by using tissue culture.