What is "aeschynomene aspera"

Sola \So"la\, n. [Native name.] (Bot.) A leguminous plant ( [AE]schynomene aspera) growing in moist places in Southern India and the East Indies. Its pithlike stem is used for making hats, swimming-jackets, etc. [Written also solah, shola.]

Aeschynomene aspera is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is also known by the names Sola, Shola (Bengali শোলা) Sola pith plant, Pith plant, Laugauni ( Hindi) or Netti ( Tamil) . Pith of low density from this plant is used to make hats known as pith helmets or sola topis.

It is native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

It is an aquatic plant and is considered a minor weed of rice paddies across its range.