Kari Uttaraani / Devil's Coach Whip
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Also known as Brazilian Tea, Oron's Rod, Jamaican Vervain, Wild Verbena
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Kari Uttaraani
Identify Kari Uttaraani 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: Widespread weedy species.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Spike (stalkless flowers along a stem).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
- Genus
- Stachytarpheta
- Family
- Verbenaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Dry and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“jamaicensis' leaves are oppositely arranged, serrated, and ovate in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“jamaicensis' leaves are oppositely arranged, serrated, and ovate in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kari Uttaraani itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Flower arrangement
- Spike (stalkless flowers along a stem)recorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kari Uttaraani itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- நெருஞ்சி
- Kannada
- ಕರಿಉತ್ತರಾಣಿ Kari uttaraani, ಕಾಡುಉತ್ತರಾಣಿ Kaadu uttaraani
- Malayalam
- ശീമക്കൊങ്ങിണി, Stachytarpheta indica, ഇന്ത്യൻ സ്നേക്ക്വീഡ്
About Kari Uttaraani
A member of the Verbenaceae family, Devil's Coach whip (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) is a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and 9 other states. It grows in dry and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Verbenaceae
Verbena/Teak family
Kari Uttaraani belongs to the Verbenaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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