Isharmul / Indian Birthwort
Aristolochia indica
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- July-February
How to identify Isharmul
Identify Isharmul by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Curved pipe-shaped greenish-yellow flowers.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Aristolochiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Isharmul.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Aristolochia indica
- Genus
- Aristolochia
- Family
- Aristolochiaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Open dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malesia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Aristolochiaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish
Characters marked “recorded” are for Isharmul itself; the rest are typical of the Aristolochiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- ईशरमूल isharmul, विषापहा vishapaha
- Nepali
- इसहरमूल Isaharamool, इश्वरी Ishwaree, ईश्वरमुल
- Bengali
- ঈশ্বরমূল isvaramula, ঈশের মূল
- Tamil
- ஈச்சுரமூலி ishvara-muli, மாம்பாஞ்சான் mampancan, பெருமருந்து peru-maruntu
- Telugu
- ఈశ్వరవేరు ishvara-veru, దూలగోవిల dulagovila, ఈశ్వర వేరు
- Kannada
- ಗೋಪಾಲಪುಟ್ಟಿ ತೊಪ್ಪಲು Gopalapatti Toppalu, ತೊಪ್ಪಲು Toppalu ಈಶ್ವರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Ishvara Balli, ಈಶ್ವರ ಬೇರು
- Malayalam
- ഈശ്വരമൂലി eeswaramooli, കടലിവേഗം kadalivegam, കരളവേകം karalavekam
- Marathi
- सापसण sapsan, सापसंद sapasanda
About Isharmul
A member of the Aristolochiaceae family, Indian Birthwort (Aristolochia indica) is a climber. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and 10 other states. It grows in open dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles. Flowering and fruiting run from July to February.
Aristolochiaceae
Birthwort Family
Isharmul belongs to the Aristolochiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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