Ban-Tambakhu / Prickly Leaved Elephant's Foot
Elephantopus scaber
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- August-January
How to identify Ban-Tambakhu
Identify Ban-Tambakhu 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: Hirsute (coarsely hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asteraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Ban-Tambakhu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Elephantopus scaber
- Genus
- Elephantopus
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Distribution
- Sri Lanka to Himalayas, Myanmar, Indo-China, China, Malay peninsula, Australia, Malaysia, Tropical Africa
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban-Tambakhu itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban-Tambakhu itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Samdudri, बन तम्बाखू Ban-tambakhu
- Nepali
- सहस्र बुटी Sahastra Buti, छत्रे Chhatre, मुला पाते Mula Pate
- Bengali
- হস্ী পদ Hasti pod
- Tamil
- Anashovadi, யானைச்சுவடி
- Telugu
- Enugabira, Eddumalikechettu
- Kannada
- ಹಕ್ಕರಿಕೆ Hakkarike, ನೆಲಮುಚ್ಚಿಲು Nela mucchilu, ನೆಲಮುಚ್ಚಳಿಕೆ Nela mucchalike, Nayi Nalige
- Malayalam
- Anayatiyan, ആനച്ചുവടി, Elephantopus scaber
- Marathi
- हस्तीपात Hastipata, हस्तीपात
- Sanskrit
- Gojivha
About Ban-Tambakhu
Prickly leaved Elephant's foot (Elephantopus scaber) belongs to the Asteraceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 15 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from August to January.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Ban-Tambakhu belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asteraceae 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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