Deccan Chiretta
Andrographis explicata
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- India
- Flowering
- August-December
How to identify Deccan Chiretta
Identify Deccan Chiretta by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Elliptic.
- Confirm leaf surface: Hirsute.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-December.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Deccan Chiretta.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Andrographis explicata
- Genus
- Andrographis
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- India
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-December
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (VU)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- EllipticrecordedWidest at the middle, tapering evenly at both ends.“It grows up to 1 meter tall and has large, bristly, elliptic leaves and hairless stems.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- HirsuterecordedCovered in coarse, stiff, bristly hairs.“It grows up to 1 meter tall and has large, bristly, elliptic leaves and hairless stems.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Deccan Chiretta itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“Its small, dark-purple flowers, borne in large pyramidal panicles, are characterized by a two-lobed upper lip and hairy lower lip.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Deccan Chiretta itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Deccan Chiretta
Deccan Chiretta (Andrographis explicata) is a shrub in the Acanthaceae family. It is native to India. Flowering and fruiting run from August to December.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Deccan Chiretta belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae 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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