Hibiscus cannabinus L.

 
  • Family : MALVACEAE
    (Mallow Or Hibiscus Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GURHAL FAMILY (गुड़हल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Malvaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Hibiscus cannabinus L.
  • Common name : Hemp, Kenap, Mesta Deccan Hemp
  • Vernacular name :
    • Pitva, Ambari, Kudrung, Pittora, Patsan (Hindi)
    • Gonguru, Pundi (Kannada)
    • Pulichai, Pulimanji (Tamil)
    • Gogu, Gongkura, Gaynaru (Telugu)
    • Kanuriya, Kudrunga (Oria)
    • Ambadi, Ambada (Marathi)
  • Habit : Shrub
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated and often runs wild. Leaves edible. The stem-bark yeilds a very valuable fibre similar to jute which is used commercially.
  • Key identification features : Annual or biennial herbaceous plant; Flowers white, yellow, or purple; Fruit capsule.
  • Flower, Fruit : September-January
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Andhra Pradesh
    • Maharashtra : Thane district
    • Odisha : All district of Odisha
    • Tamil Nadu : All districts of Tamil Nadu
    • Himachal Pradesh : Kangra district
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
  • Native : Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Pro
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • Franklin Benjamin & G.V.S.Murthy, 2013. Flora of Sri Venkateswara National Park, Andhra Pradesh, BSI.
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 113-114
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus cannabinus
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus cannabinus. Downloaded on 12 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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