About Forest Ghost Flower
Aeginetia indica, commonly known as Indian broomrape or forest ghost flower, is a holoparasitic herb or root parasite of the plant family Orobanchaceae. It grows in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of tropical and subtropical Asia and New Guinea. It parasitises plants of the families Cannaceae, Commelinaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, Poaceae, and Zingiberaceae. In many regions, including the Nepal Eastern Himalayas, Aeginetia indica is used for medicinal and ritual purposes. For example, the entire plant is placed in shrines or on altars during the Teej festival as a symbol of Shiva and Parvati.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Aeginetia indica
- Genus
- Aeginetia
- Family
- OROBANCHACEAE
- Habit
- Parasite-Herb
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest and shady places
- Native to
- India, Southeast Asia
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Myanmar, China, Japan, Philippines, Malay Peninsula
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- आँकुरी बाँकुरी Aankuri bankuri
- Malayalam
- കീരിപൂ Keeripu, ചെങ്കുമിൾ
- Marathi
- गुलाबदाणी Gulabdani
Orobanchaceae
Broomrape Family
Forest Ghost Flower belongs to the Orobanchaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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