Missi / Cowpea Witchweed
Striga gesnerioides
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- August-November
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.
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