Kilwar / Spreading Canscora
Canscora diffusa
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- October-April
How to identify Kilwar
Identify Kilwar 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: Loosely spreading branches.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Gentianaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kilwar.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Canscora diffusa
- Genus
- Canscora
- Family
- Gentianaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Moist and shaded places, near streams of deciduous forests
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Tropical Africa, Southeast Asia to Tropical Australia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Gentianaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kilwar itself; the rest are typical of the Gentianaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- சங்குபுட்பம்
- Malayalam
- ജീരകപ്പുല്ല്
- Marathi
- Titavi, Yavotchi, किलवर Kilwar, किलवर
About Kilwar
Spreading Canscora (Canscora diffusa) is a herb in the Gentianaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and 11 other states. It grows in moist and shaded places, near streams of deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from October to April.
Gentianaceae
Gentian family
Kilwar belongs to the Gentianaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Gentianaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Kilwar 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