Kakkapoovu / Two-Color Wishbone Flower
Torenia bicolor
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Kakkapoovu
Identify Kakkapoovu 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: Two-toned petals.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Torenia bicolor
- Genus
- Torenia
- Family
- Scrophulariaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Marshy areas
- Habitat type
- Wetland
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Goa
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“Leaves are small (1.5–3.5 cm long), triangular to oval in shape, with toothed edges and a pointed tip, and are carried on short stalks.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kakkapoovu itself; the rest are typical of the Scrophulariaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish“The calyx is green and ridged, partly forming wing-like extensions.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit is a small, oblong capsule, about 1–1.5 cm long, containing round, rough-textured seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kakkapoovu itself; the rest are typical of the Scrophulariaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Kakkapoovu
About Kakkapoovu
A member of the Scrophulariaceae family, Two-Color Wishbone Flower (Torenia bicolor) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and 3 other states. It grows in marshy areas. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Scrophulariaceae
Figwort family
Kakkapoovu belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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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