Patharchatta / Asian Scalystem
Elytraria acaulis
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Patharchatta
Identify Patharchatta 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: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Patharchatta.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Elytraria acaulis
- Genus
- Elytraria
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Scrub jungles
- Habitat type
- Scrub
- Distribution
- Tropical Africa, Sri Lanka, India
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Patharchatta itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Patharchatta itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- पत्थरचट्टा Patharchatta
- Tamil
- Pumikatampam, நிலக்கடம்பு
About Patharchatta
Asian Scalystem (Elytraria acaulis) belongs to the Acanthaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and 5 other states. It grows in scrub jungles. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Patharchatta 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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