Kala Adulsa / Daun Rusa
Justicia gendarussa
Also known as Gandarusa, Water-Willow
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- December-May
How to identify Kala Adulsa
Identify Kala Adulsa by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Narrow willow-like leaves.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-May.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Justicia gendarussa
- Genus
- Justicia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Planted along hedges; frequently runs wild
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- China
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Malaccas, Malaysia, Philippines, China
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Manipur, Meghalaya, Delhi, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“Its leaves are lanceolate, 4–14 cm long and 1–2.5 cm wide.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The color of the leaves can be white, green or grey and hairy on both sides.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Adulsa itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The capsule of J.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Adulsa itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Nili nargandi, Kala bashimb, काला अडुलसा Kala adulsa
- Bengali
- jagatmadan
- Tamil
- karunochi, vadaikkutti
- Telugu
- addasaramu, gandharasamu, nalla-noch-chili
- Kannada
- ಆಡುತೋಡ ಗಿಡ Aduthodagida, ಕಾರಲಕ್ಕಿಗಿಡ Kaaralakkigida, ಕರಿಲಕ್ಕಿ Karilakki
- Malayalam
- karunochchi, vada-kodi, വാതംകൊല്ലി
- Marathi
- tev, bakas, काला अडुलसा Kala adulsa
About Kala Adulsa
Daun Rusa (Justicia gendarussa) belongs to the Acanthaceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal and 13 other states. It is planted along hedges; frequently runs wild. Flowering and fruiting run from December to May.
Uses
Locally it is long used in traditional medicine and burnt as firewood or charcoal. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Kala Adulsa belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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