Chimine / The White Thunbergia
Thunbergia fragrans var. vestita
- Habit
- Climber
- Flowering
- September-February
How to identify Chimine
Identify Chimine by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-February.
- Confirm it sits within the Acanthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chimine.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Thunbergia fragrans var. vestita
- Genus
- Thunbergia
- Family
- Acanthaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests in Ghats
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chimine 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 Chimine itself; the rest are typical of the Acanthaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- चिमीन Chimine
- Tamil
- இந்திரபுஷ்பி Intirapushpi, காச நங்கை Kaasa Nangai, தண்ணிக் கொடி Thanni Kodi
- Telugu
- ఇంద్రతీగ Indrathige, పాలతీగ Palathiga
- Kannada
- ಹೆಗಲ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Hegala Balli, ಇಂದ್ರಪುಷ್ಪ Indrapushpa
- Malayalam
- നൂർവൻ വള്ളി Noorvan Valli
- Marathi
- चिमणी Chimani, चिमीन Chimine, चिमिन
About Chimine
The White Thunbergia (Thunbergia fragrans var. vestita) is a climber in the Acanthaceae family. It grows in deciduous forests in Ghats. Flowering and fruiting run from September to February.
Acanthaceae
Acanthus family
Chimine 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 Chimine 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