Kabutar Ka Phul / Snake Jasmine
Rhinacanthus nasutus
Also known as Dainty Spurs
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- December-April
How to identify Kabutar Ka Phul
Identify Kabutar Ka Phul 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 leaf shape: Oblong.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Rhinacanthus nasutus
- Genus
- Rhinacanthus
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Shaded palces in dry deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Java, Madagascar
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Puducherry, Telangana, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OblongrecordedLonger than wide with roughly parallel sides, the ends rounded.“The leaves are oblong, 4–10 cm in length, and narrowed and pointed at both ends.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kabutar Ka Phul itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit (capsule) is club-shaped and contains 4 seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kabutar Ka Phul itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कबूतर का फुल Kabutar Ka Phul, पालक जूही Palak-Juhi, ऊथिपर्णी Uthiparni
- Bengali
- জুই পানা Jui-Pana, পলক জুই Palak-Jui
- Tamil
- கலிகை Kalikai, நாகமல்லி Nagamalli, உரகமல்லி Uragamalli
- Telugu
- నాగమళ్లె Nagamalle
- Kannada
- ದೊಡ್ಡಪಟಿಕ Doddapatika, ನಾಗಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ Nagamallige
- Malayalam
- നാഗമുല്ല Naagamulla, ഒറ്റക്കാൽമുടന്തി Ottakkaalmudanthi, പുഴുക്കൊല്ലി Puzhukkolli
- Marathi
- गजकर्णी Gajkarni, नागमल्ली Nagamalli
About Kabutar Ka Phul
Snake Jasmine (Rhinacanthus nasutus) belongs to the Acanthaceae family, where it grows as a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and 5 other states. It grows in shaded palces in dry deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from December to April.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Kabutar Ka Phul belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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