Chhoti Chirayta / Lesser Felwort
Swertia minor
Also known as Lesser Star-Swertia
- Habit
- Herb
- Flowering
- August-December
How to identify Chhoti Chirayta
Identify Chhoti Chirayta 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: Small dwarf habit.
- Confirm flower colour: Blue.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-December.
- Confirm it sits within the Gentianaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chhoti Chirayta.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Swertia minor
- Genus
- Swertia
- Family
- Gentianaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Wet areas in grasslands
- Distribution
- India
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
Typical of the Gentianaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Bluerecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chhoti Chirayta itself; the rest are typical of the Gentianaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Gujarati
- નાનું કરિયાતુ Nanu Kariyatu
- Hindi
- छोटी चिरायता Chhoti Chirayta
- Kannada
- ಸಣ್ಣ ಕಿರಾತತಿಕ್ತ Sanna Kiraathathiktha
- Malayalam
- ചെറിയ അവൽപ്പൂവ് Cheriya Avalpoovu
- Marathi
- लहान चिरायत Lahan Chirayat
- Tamil
- சிறிய நிலவேம்பு Siriya Nila-Vempu
About Chhoti Chirayta
Lesser Felwort (Swertia minor) is a herb in the Gentianaceae family. It grows in wet areas in grasslands. Flowering and fruiting run from August to December.
Gentianaceae
Gentian family
Chhoti Chirayta belongs to the Gentianaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Gentianaceae 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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