Gaunchi / Showy Rosary Pea
Abrus pulchellus
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- August-March
How to identify Gaunchi
Identify Gaunchi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climbing shrub habit.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk).
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Karnataka, Sikkim.
- Confirm it sits within the Fabaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Gaunchi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Abrus pulchellus
- Genus
- Abrus
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests also dry deciduous forests and plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, South Africa, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Karnataka, Sikkim
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gaunchi itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Gaunchi itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- गौंची Gaunchi
- Nepali
- गुंजा Gunja
About Gaunchi
Showy Rosary Pea (Abrus pulchellus) is a climbing shrub in the Fabaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Karnataka and 1 other states. It grows in semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests also dry deciduous forests and plains. Flowering and fruiting run from August to March.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Gaunchi belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Fabaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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