Karunkurinji / Hop Coneflower
Strobilanthes lupulinus
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala
- Flowering
- October-March
How to identify Karunkurinji
Identify Karunkurinji 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: Cone-like overlapping bracts resembling hops.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karunkurinji.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Strobilanthes lupulinus
- Genus
- Strobilanthes
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests, damp ravines and also along way sides
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karunkurinji 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 Karunkurinji itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Kannada
- ಕರುಙಕುರಿಂಜಿ Karunkurinji
- Konkani
- अकरा Akra
- Malayalam
- കരിങ്കുറിഞ്ഞി Karinkurinji
- Marathi
- अकरा Akra
- Tamil
- கருங்குறிஞ்சி Karunkurinji
About Karunkurinji
A member of the Acanthaceae family, Hop Coneflower (Strobilanthes lupulinus) is a low shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. It grows in evergreen forests, damp ravines and also along way sides. Flowering and fruiting run from October to March.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Karunkurinji belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Acanthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Karunkurinji or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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