Sugandhabala / Three Lobed False Mallow
Pavonia odorata
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- August-February
How to identify Sugandhabala
Identify Sugandhabala 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: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana.
- Confirm it sits within the Malvaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Sugandhabala.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Pavonia odorata
- Genus
- Pavonia
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Paleotropics
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-February
- 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
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sugandhabala itself; the rest are typical of the Malvaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- सुगंधबाला Sugandhabala
- Tamil
- Peramutti, Avibattam
- Telugu
- Chittibenda, Ettakuti
- Kannada
- ಬಲರಾಕ್ಷಿ (ಗಿಡ) Balarakshi (gida), ಬಲರಕ್ಕಸಿ Balarakkasi
- Malayalam
- Iruveli, Kuruntotti
- Marathi
- सुगंधबाला Sugandhabala, Kalavala
About Sugandhabala
Three lobed False Mallow (Pavonia odorata) is a low shrub in the Malvaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 1 other states. It grows in dry deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from August to February.
Malvaceae
Mallow/Hibiscus family
Sugandhabala 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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