Hibiscus lunariifolius Willd.

 
  • 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 lunariifolius Willd.
  • Vernacular name :
    • Masuthuthi (Tamil)
    • Malamkuzhupparetthi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Habitat : Deciduous forests and Tropical moist deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Rare in hills of Eastern Ghats at low elevations; along slopes and rock crevices
  • Flower, Fruit : September-February
  • Collector(s) Name : Raja K. Swamy, Noel Sebastian
  • Collection Date : 23-11-2018
  • Collection Nos : HJCB-1735
  • Collection Locality : Pandikkd, Malappuram district, Kerala
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Visakhapatnam district, Prakasam district, West Godavari district, Kurnool district
    • Karnataka : Mysuru district, Tumakuru district, Uttara Kannada district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district
    • Odisha : Ganjam district
    • Tamil Nadu : Salem district, Coimbatore district, Dharmapuri district, Madurai district, The Nilgiri district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district, Tiruchirapalli district, Tirunelveli district
  • World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Tropical Africa, Myanmar, Malesia
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • 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
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Cecil J. Saldanha, S. R. Ramesh (1984). Flora of Karnataka State vol. 1. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi
    • Bhaskar & Kushalappa, 2013- Flora of Tumkur District
    • Herbarium specimen from Pandikkd, Malappuram district, Kerala.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus lunariifolius
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus lunariifolius. Downloaded on 30 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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