Aankuri Bankuri / Forest Ghost Flower
Aeginetia indica
- Habit
- Parasite-Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya & more
- Flowering
- July-December
How to identify Aankuri Bankuri
Identify Aankuri Bankuri by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a parasite-herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Leafless parasitic herb with a single purple tubular flower.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, Goa and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Orobanchaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Aankuri Bankuri.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Aeginetia indica
- Genus
- Aeginetia
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Habit
- Parasite-Herb
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest and shady places
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India, Southeast Asia
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Myanmar, China, Japan, Philippines, Malay Peninsula
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Orobanchaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
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 Aankuri Bankuri itself; the rest are typical of the Orobanchaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- आँकुरी बाँकुरी Aankuri bankuri
- Malayalam
- കീരിപൂ Keeripu, ചെങ്കുമിൾ
- Marathi
- गुलाबदाणी Gulabdani
About Aankuri Bankuri
Forest Ghost Flower (Aeginetia indica) is a species in the Orobanchaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya and 12 other states. It grows in semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest and shady places. Flowering and fruiting run from July to December.
Orobanchaceae
Broomrape Family
Aankuri Bankuri belongs to the Orobanchaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Orobanchaceae 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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