Thavalakkalchedi / Persian Violet
Exacum wightianum
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering
- April-July
How to identify Thavalakkalchedi
Identify Thavalakkalchedi 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: Classic showy Persian violet flowers with yellow anthers.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple/violet.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-July.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Madhya Pradesh.
- Confirm it sits within the Gentianaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Thavalakkalchedi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Exacum wightianum
- Genus
- Exacum
- Family
- Gentianaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grasslands
- Habitat type
- Grassland
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Kerala, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-July
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Gentianaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Purple/violetrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Thavalakkalchedi itself; the rest are typical of the Gentianaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Thavalakkalchedi
About Thavalakkalchedi
Persian Violet (Exacum wightianum) belongs to the Gentianaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. It grows in grasslands. Flowering and fruiting run from April to July.
Gentianaceae
Gentian family
Thavalakkalchedi belongs to the Gentianaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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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