Ban Okra / Grape Leaved Mallow
Hibiscus vitifolius
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- March-December
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hibiscus vitifolius
- Genus
- Hibiscus
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, Malesia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The leaves are broadly ovate, with a cordate or truncate base and a crenate margin.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“The leaves are broadly ovate, with a cordate or truncate base and a crenate margin.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban Okra itself; the rest are typical of the Malvaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- CymerecordedA branched cluster where the central/terminal flower opens first.“The inflorescence grows in a terminal cyme and in the .” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban Okra itself; the rest are typical of the Malvaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बन ओकरा ban okra
- Bengali
- বনকাপাস banakapasa, বন কাপাস
- Tamil
- சிறுதுத்தி ciru-tutti, மணித்துத்தி mani-t-tutti, மணித்துத்தி
- Kannada
- ಮಣಿ ತುತ್ತೀ ಗಿಡ mani thutthi gida, ಪಿಂಡೀ ಸೊಪ್ಪು pindi soppu
- Malayalam
- കാട്ടുവെള്ളൂരം kaattu vellooram, കാട്ടുവെള്ളൂരം
- Marathi
- वनकपास vankapas
About Ban Okra
Grape Leaved Mallow (Hibiscus vitifolius) belongs to the Malvaceae family, where it grows as a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and 12 other states. It grows in dry deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from March to December.
Malvaceae
Mallow/Hibiscus family
Ban Okra belongs to the Malvaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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