Missi / Cowpea Witchweed
Striga gesnerioides
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- August-November
How to identify Missi
Identify Missi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Parasitic on cowpea and other legumes.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple/violet.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Scrophulariaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Missi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Striga gesnerioides
- Genus
- Striga
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Scrub jungles and deciduous forests
- Distribution
- Tropical Africa through Arabia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-November
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Scrophulariaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Purple/violetrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Missi itself; the rest are typical of the Scrophulariaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- मिस्सी Missi
- Malayalam
- അള്ളാൻകിഴങ്ങ്
- Marathi
- बंबाखू
About Missi
Cowpea witchweed (Striga gesnerioides) is a herb in the Scrophulariaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and 10 other states. It grows in scrub jungles and deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from August to November.
Scrophulariaceae
Figwort family
Missi belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Scrophulariaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides