Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz

 
  • Family : ACANTHACEAE
    (Acanthus Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : ARUSA FAMILY (अडूसा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Acanthaceae
  • Basionym : Justicia nasuta L.
  • Synonym(s) : Rhinacanthus communis Nees; Rhinacanthus nasutus Kuntze var. montana (Clarke) Kumari; Rhinacanthus communis var. montanus C.B. Clarke
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz
  • Common name : Snake Jasmine, Dainty Spurs
  • Vernacular name :
    • Palkajuhi, Juyeepani (Hindi)
    • Negamulli (Kannada)
    • Nagamalli, Sirukurungu (Tamil)
    • Yuthiparni (Sanskrit)
    • Nagamulla, Orukaalmudanthi, Pushpakedal, Purukolli, Puzhukkolli, Vellakkurunji (Malayalam)
    • Nagamalli, Vontikommu rinachettu, Pamu malli (Telugu)
    • Kaurasago (Oria)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Habitat : Shaded palces in dry deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : On hills above 500m, on crevices of rocks on slopes, wet areas in Tropical moist deciduous forests, also in the plains. Occassional in clumps. Sometimes brought into cultivation.
  • Flower, Fruit : December-April
  • Collector(s) Name : Arun Singh, Raja K. Swamy, Navendu Page
  • Collection Date : 23/03/2016
  • Collection Nos : HJCB-0627
  • Collection Locality : Yercaud-Salem Ghat road, Salem district (TN)
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, Visakhapatnam district, East Godavari district, Chittoor district, Y.S.R. Kadapa district
    • Karnataka : Ballari district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Odisha : Ganjam district, Mayurbhanj district, Puri district, Nayagarh district, Sambalpur district
    • Tamil Nadu : Shevaroy Hills (Salem district)
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Java, Madagascar
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4
    • J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 2
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 3
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Rhinacanthus nasutus
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Rhinacanthus nasutus. Downloaded on 12 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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