Typical of the Costaceae family
Costus pictus
Inchulin Cheti / Insulin Plant இன்சுலின் செடி
Tamil name · See all regional names ↓
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- February-April
Inchulin Cheti in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil | இன்சுலின் செடி | Inchulin cheti |
See the original recorded names
- Tamil
- இன்சுலின் செடி Inchulin cheti
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in Assam Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Mexico to C. America.
- Recorded habitat
- Grown as a medicinal plant
- Explore nearby plants
- Kerala →Maharashtra →Karnataka →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Inchulin Cheti
Identify Inchulin Cheti 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: Chewed leaves used to manage blood sugar (insulin plant).
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Costaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Inchulin Cheti.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Costus pictus
- Genus
- Costus
- Family
- Costaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grown as a medicinal plant
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Central America
- Distribution
- Cultivated elsewhere
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Costaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Spike
Characters marked “recorded” are for Inchulin Cheti itself; the rest are typical of the Costaceae family — flowering plants only.
About Inchulin Cheti
Insulin Plant (Costus pictus) is a herb in the Costaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 9 other states. It is grown as a medicinal plant. Flowering and fruiting run from February to April.
Costaceae
Costus Family
Inchulin Cheti belongs to the Costaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Costaceae 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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