Arkapushpi / Holostemma
Holostemma annulare
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Bihar, Karnataka
- Flowering
- July-January
How to identify Arkapushpi
Identify Arkapushpi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Ring-shaped (annulare) corona in the flower.
- Confirm leaf shape: Heart-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple/violet.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Bihar, Karnataka.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Arkapushpi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Holostemma annulare
- Genus
- Holostemma
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Scrub and dry deciduous forests, also in plains
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Myanmar, China, Pakistan
- Found in India
- Bihar, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Heart-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Arkapushpi itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Purple/violetrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Arkapushpi itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Assamese
- জীৱন্তী ফুল Jivanti Phula
- Gujarati
- અર્કપુષ્પી Arkapushpi, ખણેર Khaner, ખીરણ Khiran, ખીરદોડી Khirdodi, ખીરવેલ Khirvel
- Hindi
- अर्कपुष्पी Arkapushpi, छिरवेल Chirvel
- Kannada
- ಅರಣೆ ಬೀಳು Arane Beelu, ಜೀವ ಹಾಲೆ Jeevahaale, ಜೀವಂತಿ Jeevanthi
- Konkani
- करबफूल Karabphul
- Malayalam
- അടകൊതിയൻ Atakothiyan, അടപതിയൻ Adapathiyan, ജീവനി Jeevani, മധുസ്രവ Madhusrava, നാഗവല്ലി Nagavalli
- Marathi
- दुधरोळी Dudhroli, चिरवेल Chirvel, शिदोडी Shidodi
- Nepali
- जिवन्ती Jiwantee
- Sanskrit
- जीवन्ती Jivanti, सूर्यवल्ली Suryavalli, अर्कपुष्पी Arkapushpi
- Santali
- ᱟᱹᱯᱩᱝ Apung, ᱢᱩᱨᱚᱱ ᱟᱲᱟᱜ Mouron Arak
- Tamil
- பலைக்கீரை Palaikkirai
- Telugu
- బండి గురివింద Bandi-Gurivinda, దూది పాల తీగ Dudi Paala Thige, పాల గురుగు Paala Gurugu, పాల జిల్లేడు Paala Jilledu, పాల గురుజి Pala Gurji, పెయ్యిబడ్డు Peyyi Baddu
- Tulu
- ಅರಣೆ ಬೂರು Arane Booru
About Arkapushpi
A member of the Asclepiadaceae family, Holostemma (Holostemma annulare) is a climber. In India it has been recorded in Bihar and Karnataka. It grows in scrub and dry deciduous forests, also in plains. Flowering and fruiting run from July to January.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Arkapushpi belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asclepiadaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Arkapushpi 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