Kuth
Saussurea costus
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand
- Flowering
- June-July
How to identify Kuth
Identify Kuth by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Aromatic medicinal root (kuth).
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-July.
- In India, compare location records such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Saussurea costus
- Genus
- Saussurea
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- Himalayas
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-July
- Conservation status
- CR
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“The leaves take the shape of being auricled at base, with jagged, toothed patterns running down the sides of the leaves and are an average of 0.50–1.25 m (1.6–4.1 ft) long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kuth itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kuth itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- কোথ
- Kannada
- ಡೊಲೊಮಿಯಾ ಕಾಸ್ಟಸ್
- Malayalam
- കൊട്ടം
About Kuth
Kuth (Saussurea costus) is a shrub in the Asteraceae family. In India it has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Flowering and fruiting run from June to July.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine, distilled for an aromatic oil and tapped for gum or resin. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Kuth belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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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