Marul / Indian Bowstring Hemp
Sansevieria roxburghiana
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, West Bengal
- Flowering
- July-December
How to identify Marul
Identify Marul 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.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Fiber source (Indian bowstring hemp).
- Confirm leaf shape: Rigid sword-shaped.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, West Bengal.
- Confirm it sits within the Agavaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Marul.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sansevieria roxburghiana
- Genus
- Sansevieria
- Family
- Agavaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Gregarious as an undergrowth in rocky crevices in dry deciduous forests also in the plains
- Found in India
- Kerala, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Rigid sword-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Marul itself; the rest are typical of the Agavaceae family.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Marul, Murahri, Murva
- Tamil
- Marul-kalang
- Kannada
- ಹೆಗ್ಗುರಂಟಿಕೆ Heggurantike, ಹೆಗ್ಗುರಟಿಗೆ Hegguratige, ಗೊಡ್ಡುಮಂಜಿ Goddu manji
- Malayalam
- Hatukapel
- Marathi
- Murhari
About Marul
A member of the Agavaceae family, Indian bowstring hemp (Sansevieria roxburghiana) is a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Kerala and West Bengal. It grows in gregarious as an undergrowth in rocky crevices in dry deciduous forests also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from July to December.
Agavaceae
Agave Family
Marul belongs to the Agavaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Agavaceae 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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