Harkata / Holly-Leaved Acanthus
Acanthus ilicifolius
Also known as Holy Mangrove
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- November-July
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Acanthus ilicifolius
- Genus
- Acanthus
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Mangrove, marshy areas
- Native to
- Australia, India, Southeast Asia
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia, Australia, South and Tropical Africa
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-July
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Acanthaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- हड़कत harkata
- Bengali
- হাড়গোজা hargoza, কটকি kataki, নীল টেংরাকাঁটা nila tenrakanta
- Tamil
- ஆற்றுமுள்ளி arru-mulli, கழுதைமுள்ளி kalutai-mulli, கோழிமுள்ளி koli-mulli
- Telugu
- అలస్యకంప alasyakampa, అలిసి alisi, ఏటిచిల్ల etichilla
- Kannada
- ಹೊಳೆಚುಳ್ಳಿ holechulli, ತುಡೆಚುಳ್ಳಿ tudechulli, ಹರಿಕುಶ harikusha
- Malayalam
- ചുള്ളി chulli, ചുള്ളിക്കണ്ടൽ chullikkantal, പയിങ്ങാച്ചുള്ളി payingngaachchulli
- Marathi
- मारांडी marandi, निवगूर nivagur, वागाटी vagati
About Harkata
Holly-leaved Acanthus (Acanthus ilicifolius) is a shrub belonging to the Acanthaceae family (Acanthus family). Members of this family are generally characterised by opposite simple leaves, spike/raceme flower clusters, capsule fruit. It is typically found in mangrove, marshy areas. Native to Australia, India, Southeast Asia, it is distributed across Indo-Malesia, Australia, South and Tropical Africa. Flowering and fruiting are typically seen during November-July. The species is valued in traditional medicine. Its conservation status has been assessed as Least Concern (LC).
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Harkata belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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