Marakurinji
Strobilanthes gracilis
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- April-June
How to identify Marakurinji
Identify Marakurinji 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.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-June.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Marakurinji.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Strobilanthes gracilis
- Genus
- Strobilanthes
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Marakurinji itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Marakurinji itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- മരക്കുറിഞ്ഞി Marakurinji, തോക്കകുറിഞ്ഞി Thokakurinji
About Marakurinji
A member of the Acanthaceae family, Strobilanthes gracilis is a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu. It grows in evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from April to June.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Marakurinji belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae 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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