Vernonia arborea
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- September-May
How to identify Vernonia arborea
Identify Vernonia arborea by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Grows as a tree, unusually large for the genus.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Vernonia arborea
- Genus
- Vernonia
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- On hills above 1200m in sholas and Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Indo-Malesia, Java, Myanmar, China, Philippines
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Goa, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Mizoram, Manipur, Ladakh, Nagaland, Haryana, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Tripura, Chandigarh
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The leaves are alternate, ovate (but often asymmetrical), 8–25 cm long and 3–10 cm broad, with a leathery texture.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The leaves are alternate, ovate (but often asymmetrical), 8–25 cm long and 3–10 cm broad, with a leathery texture.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Vernonia arborea itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Vernonia arborea itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- ऐस्टरेसिए
- Tamil
- சூரியகாந்திக் குடும்பம்
- Telugu
- ఆస్టరేసి
- Malayalam
- ആസ്റ്റ്രേസീ
- Urdu
- تارا پھول
About Vernonia arborea
Vernonia arborea belongs to the Asteraceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 30 other states. It grows in on hills above 1200m in sholas and Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from September to May.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Vernonia arborea belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asteraceae 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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