Sarhati / Indian Snake Root
Ophiorrhiza mungos
Also known as Mongoose Plant
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & more
- Flowering
- January-November
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ophiorrhiza mungos
- Genus
- Ophiorrhiza
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Semi-Evergreen forests and in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java
- Found in India
- Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-November
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sarhati itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sarhati itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Sarahati, सरहटी Sarhati
- Tamil
- Aravakkiriti, ஸர்பாக்ஷீ Sarpakshi-Chettu, நாகவல்லீ Nagavalli
- Kannada
- Garuda paathaala, garuda patala, Mungasee gida
- Malayalam
- Avilpori, Chembajarinjil, Pera-aratha
- Marathi
- Mungusavela, नागवेली Nagvelli
About Sarhati
Indian snake root (Ophiorrhiza mungos) is a low shrub in the Rubiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and 3 other states. It grows in semi-Evergreen forests and in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from January to November.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Sarhati belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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