Bhola / Tree Antigonon
Kleinhovia hospita
Also known as Guest Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- March-October
How to identify Bhola
Identify Bhola by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Clusters of small pink flowers (guest tree).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-October.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Kleinhovia hospita
- Genus
- Kleinhovia
- Family
- Sterculiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Planted
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Molucca
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia from Mascarene Islands to Polynesia & E. Tropical Africa
- Found in India
- West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-October
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“Leaves are simple and alternate;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“Leaves are simple and alternate;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“the leaf-blade is ovate to heart-shaped, glabrous on both sides, with the apex pointed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“the leaf-blade is ovate to heart-shaped, glabrous on both sides, with the apex pointed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhola itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“hospita are terminal, in loose panicles protruding from the crown;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“hospita are rounded, 5-lobed, thin-walled, membranous capsules, 2.5 cm (0.98 in) in diameter, loculicidally dehiscent, each locule having 1–2 seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhola itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Bhola
- Malayalam
- പപ്പടമരം
About Bhola
Tree Antigonon (Kleinhovia hospita) belongs to the Sterculiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra and 5 other states. It is planted. Flowering and fruiting run from March to October.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and planted as an ornamental. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Sterculiaceae
Cacao/Cola family
Bhola belongs to the Sterculiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sterculiaceae 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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