Pannamaravazha / Rattlesnake Orchid
Pholidota imbricata
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim & more
- Flowering
- September-March
How to identify Pannamaravazha
Identify Pannamaravazha 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.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim, West Bengal and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Orchidaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Pannamaravazha.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Pholidota imbricata
- Genus
- Pholidota
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“Each pseudobulb has a single pleated, leathery, dark green, oblong to lance-shaped leaf 200–400 mm (7.9–16 in) long and 60–80 mm (2.4–3.1 in) wide on a stalk about 50 mm (2.0 in) l” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Pannamaravazha itself; the rest are typical of the Orchidaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Pannamaravazha itself; the rest are typical of the Orchidaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Pannamaravazha
- Nepali
- पत्थर केरा Patthar Kera, भालु केरा Bhaalu Kera
About Pannamaravazha
Rattlesnake orchid (Pholidota imbricata) belongs to the Orchidaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Karnataka, Sikkim and 6 other states. It grows in semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from September to March.
Orchidaceae
Orchid family
Pannamaravazha belongs to the Orchidaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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