Van Bhindi / Malva De Caballo
Malachra capitata
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- April-December
How to identify Van Bhindi
Identify Van Bhindi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a undershrub habit.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Malvaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Van Bhindi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Malachra capitata
- Genus
- Malachra
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Wastelands and swampy areas
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Introduced in old World
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Malvaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Van Bhindi itself; the rest are typical of the Malvaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- वन भिंडी Van bhindi, विलायती भिंडी Vilayati bhindi, বন ভেন্ডি
- Bengali
- বন ভিংডী Ban bhindi, বন ভেন্ডি
- Marathi
- रान भेंडी raan bhendi, रान भेंडी
About Van Bhindi
Malva de Caballo (Malachra capitata) is a low shrub in the Malvaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and 5 other states. It grows in wastelands and swampy areas. Flowering and fruiting run from April to December.
Malvaceae
Mallow/Hibiscus family
Van Bhindi belongs to the Malvaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Malvaceae 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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