Chitrabee / Chocolateweed
Melochia corchorifolia
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- July-April
How to identify Chitrabee
Identify Chitrabee by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Clustered flower heads (chocolateweed).
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Melochia corchorifolia
- Genus
- Melochia
- Family
- Sterculiaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Moist clay soil
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“It’s simple, ovate leaves are normally arranged spirally with the margins very intensely serrated.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“Melochia corchorifolia has ovate leaves;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“It’s simple, ovate leaves are normally arranged spirally with the margins very intensely serrated.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitrabee itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitrabee itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Tikiokra, Bilpat, चित्रबीज chitrabee
- Bengali
- Bon-pat, Tikiokra
- Tamil
- பிண்ணாக்குக்கீரை Punnakkukkirai, பிண்ணாக்கு கீரை
- Telugu
- Ganugapindikura
- Kannada
- Bettadatutti mara
- Malayalam
- Ketam, ചെറു ഊരം
- Marathi
- लहान मेथुरी Lahan methuri
About Chitrabee
A member of the Sterculiaceae family, Chocolateweed (Melochia corchorifolia) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 19 other states. It grows in moist clay soil. Flowering and fruiting run from July to April.
Uses
In practice it is cut for timber and furniture.
Sterculiaceae
Cacao/Cola family
Chitrabee 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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