Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

 
  • Family : SOLANACEAE
    (Nightshade Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : BAINGAN FAMILY (बैंगन फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Solanaceae
  • Basionym : Physalis somnifera L.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal
  • Common name : Winter Cherry
  • Vernacular name :
    • Ashwagandh, Asgandh (Hindi)
    • Ashwagandha, Hiremuddina gida (Kannada)
    • Karappaan thazhai, Amukkila chedi (Tamil)
    • Aswagandha, Pennerugadda, Pulivendrum, Panneru vajigandha (Telugu)
    • Asvagandha (Sanskrit)
    • Amukkuram (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated as medicinal plant and root is used in native medicine
  • Flower, Fruit : April-December
  • Distribution :
    • Kerala : Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Mumbai-City district, Mumbai Suburban district
    • Odisha : Odisha
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • Gujarat : Somnath
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Alwar district, Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
  • Native : Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Chad, China, Cyprus, Djibouti, East Aegean Islands, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Greece, Gulf States, India, Iran, Kenya, Kriti, Kw
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Chad, China, Cyprus, Djibouti, East Aegean Islands, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Greece, Gulf States, India, Iran, Kenya, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Lebanon-Syria, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Rwanda, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • 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 :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Withania somnifera. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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