Chitiphul / Indian Forget-Me-Not
Heliotropium strigosum
Also known as Red Jasmine
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- May-November
How to identify Chitiphul
Identify Chitiphul 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 shape: Sagittate (arrowhead-shaped).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Boraginaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chitiphul.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Heliotropium strigosum
- Genus
- Heliotropium
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests near rocks
- Distribution
- India, Afghanistan, Thailand, S.China
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-November
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Sagittate (arrowhead-shaped)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitiphul itself; the rest are typical of the Boraginaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Nutlets
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitiphul itself; the rest are typical of the Boraginaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Chitiphul, Chitiphal, Safed bhangra
- Kannada
- chaelu baalada gida
- Marathi
- sanjuvanchivel, sitachekes
- Nepali
- मृगराज Mrigaraj
About Chitiphul
A member of the Boraginaceae family, Indian Forget-me-not (Heliotropium strigosum) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and 5 other states. It grows in deciduous forests near rocks. Flowering and fruiting run from May to November.
Boraginaceae
Borage family
Chitiphul belongs to the Boraginaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Boraginaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Chitiphul or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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.
All plant problem & care guides