Thialpa / Small-Flowered Packing Leaf
Phrynium placentarium
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Assam
- Flowering
- July-February
How to identify Thialpa
Identify Thialpa 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: Large leaves traditionally used to wrap food.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Assam.
- Confirm it sits within the Marantaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Thialpa.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Phrynium placentarium
- Genus
- Phrynium
- Family
- Marantaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Moist forests near streams
- Distribution
- India, Indo-Malesian region
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Thialpa itself; the rest are typical of the Marantaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Typical of the Marantaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Mizo
- Thialpa, Hnahthialpa
About Thialpa
Small-Flowered Packing Leaf (Phrynium placentarium) belongs to the Marantaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka and Assam. It grows in moist forests near streams. Flowering and fruiting run from July to February.
Marantaceae
Arrowroot Family
Thialpa belongs to the Marantaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Marantaceae 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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