Jivani / Stinking Foldwing
Dicliptera foetida
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- November-April
How to identify Jivani
Identify Jivani 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.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Jivani.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Dicliptera foetida
- Genus
- Dicliptera
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Jivani itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Jivani itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Marathi
- जिवणी jivani
About Jivani
Stinking Foldwing (Dicliptera foetida) belongs to the Acanthaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It grows in evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from November to April.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Jivani belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae 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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