Kastula / Spiny Bottle Brush
Haplanthodes verticillatus
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- October-April
How to identify Kastula
Identify Kastula 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: October-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kastula.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Haplanthodes verticillatus
- Genus
- Haplanthodes
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- On dry slopes among grasses
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-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 Kastula 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 Kastula itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Kastula
- Marathi
- Jhankara, जकारा
About Kastula
A member of the Acanthaceae family, Spiny Bottle Brush (Haplanthodes verticillatus) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and 3 other states. It grows in on dry slopes among grasses. Flowering and fruiting run from October to April.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Kastula 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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