Karanji / Hairy Buchnera
Buchnera hispida
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa & more
- Flowering
- September-April
How to identify Karanji
Identify Karanji by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Bristly hairy stems.
- Confirm flower colour: Blue/purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Scrophulariaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karanji.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Buchnera hispida
- Genus
- Buchnera
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grasslands and open moist places
- Distribution
- India, Madagascar, Nepal, Tropical Africa
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-April
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Scrophulariaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Blue/purplerecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karanji itself; the rest are typical of the Scrophulariaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Marathi
- कारंजी Karanji
About Karanji
Hairy Buchnera (Buchnera hispida) belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and 3 other states. It grows in grasslands and open moist places. Flowering and fruiting run from September to April.
Scrophulariaceae
Figwort family
Karanji belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Scrophulariaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Karanji or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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.
All plant problem & care guides