Scorpionbush
Carmona retusa
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka
- Flowering
- July-March
How to identify Scorpionbush
Identify Scorpionbush 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.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Small rough leaves, popular bonsai plant (scorpion bush).
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka.
- Confirm it sits within the Boraginaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Scorpionbush.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Carmona retusa
- Genus
- Carmona
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Open deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Malaysia to Formosa, Philippines
- Found in India
- Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Scorpionbush itself; the rest are typical of the Boraginaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Nutlets
Characters marked “recorded” are for Scorpionbush itself; the rest are typical of the Boraginaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- குரங்கு வெற்றிலை
- Malayalam
- കുരങ്ങുവെറ്റില
About Scorpionbush
Scorpionbush (Carmona retusa) belongs to the Boraginaceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka. It grows in open deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from July to March.
Boraginaceae
Borage family
Scorpionbush belongs to the Boraginaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Boraginaceae 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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