Chitrak / White Plumbago
Plumbago zeylanica
Also known as De Ceylon Lead Wort, Ceylon Leadwort, Lead Wort, White Leadwort, Wild Plumbago
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Plumbago zeylanica
- Genus
- Plumbago
- Family
- Plumbaginaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The leaves are petiolate or sessile and have ovate, lance-elliptic, or spatulate to oblanceolate blades that measure 5-9 × 2.5–4 cm in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitrak itself; the rest are typical of the Plumbaginaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The heterostylous flowers have white corollas 17–33 mm in diameter and tubes 12.5–28 mm in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“Capsules are 7.5–8 mm long and contain are reddish brown to dark brown seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chitrak itself; the rest are typical of the Plumbaginaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- चित्रक Chitrak
- Bengali
- Safaid-sitarak, চিত্রা
- Tamil
- சித்திர மூலம் Chittiramoolam karimai, சித்தரகம்
- Kannada
- ಚಿತ್ರಮೂಲ Chitramula, ಚಿತ್ರಮೂಲಿಕೆ Chitramulike, ಚಿತ್ರಕ Chitraka
- Malayalam
- Vellakoduveli, വെള്ളക്കൊടുവേലി, Plumbago zeylanica
- Marathi
- चित्रक
Chitrak in India
Chitrak is a straggling shrub long used in Ayurveda for its pungent root — चित्रक Chitrak (Hindi), சித்திர மூலம் Chittiramoolam karimai (Tamil), ಚಿತ್ರಮೂಲ Chitramula (Kannada), Vellakoduveli (Malayalam), चित्रक (Marathi), Safaid-sitarak (Bengali). Plumbago zeylanica is recorded across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Rajasthan, in hedges, scrub and gardens.
Uses
Its root (chitrakmool) is a classical Ayurvedic remedy associated with digestion and metabolism — an attributed traditional use described for information, not medical advice. The plant is acrid and the root a skin irritant, so it is used in tradition, not eaten casually.
How to Identify Chitrak
A straggling perennial with thin, weak branches and oval leaves. It bears slender spikes of pure white, five-lobed tubular flowers whose green calyx is covered in sticky, gland-tipped hairs that cling to clothing and insects — a useful field mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is White Plumbago called in different Indian languages?
- चित्रक Chitrak (Hindi); சித்திர மூலம் Chittiramoolam karimai (Tamil); ಚಿತ್ರಮೂಲ Chitramula (Kannada); Vellakoduveli (Malayalam); चित्रक (Marathi); Safaid-sitarak (Bengali).
- What is chitrak used for?
- Chitrak root is a classical Ayurvedic remedy associated with digestion (agni); this is a traditional, attributed use and not medical advice.
- How do you identify chitrak?
- Look for a straggling shrub with spikes of white tubular flowers whose sticky, hairy green calyx clings to clothes.
Plumbaginaceae
Leadwort Or The Plumbago Family
Chitrak belongs to the Plumbaginaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Plumbaginaceae
View all Plumbaginaceae →Sources: GBIF — Plumbago zeylanica (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Plumbago zeylanica (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Plumbago zeylanica (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)