Kankara / Hill Pavetta
Pavetta indica
Also known as Indian Sorrel
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- April-November
How to identify Kankara
Identify Kankara 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.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kankara.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Pavetta indica
- Genus
- Pavetta
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen, deciduous and scrub forests
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Himalayas, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Taiwan, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-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 Kankara 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 Kankara itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कांकरा Kankara, काठचम्पा Kathachampa, kankara, papatakammi
- Nepali
- Kange, कंगियो फूल Kangiyo phool, तकली Taklee
- Bengali
- Jui, কাংকরা Kankra
- Tamil
- Kattukkaranai, Karanai, பாவட்டை
- Telugu
- Papidi
- Kannada
- ಪಾವಟೆ Pavate, ಪಾಪಟೆ Papate, ಹಾವುಮೆಕ್ಕೆ Haavumekke
- Malayalam
- Mallikamutti, മല്ലികമുട്ടി, Pavetta indica
- Marathi
- Papat
- Sinhala
- පාවට්ටා
About Kankara
A member of the Rubiaceae family, Hill Pavetta (Pavetta indica) is a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 13 other states. It grows in evergreen, deciduous and scrub forests. Flowering and fruiting run from April to November.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Kankara belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rubiaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides