Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz

 
  • Family : LYTHRACEAE
    (Loose-Strife Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : MEHNDI FAMILY (मेंहंदी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Lythraceae
  • Basionym : Lythrum fruticosum L.
  • Synonym(s) : Woodfordia floribunda Salisb.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz
  • Common name : Fire-flame bush, Shiramjitea, Woodfordia
  • Vernacular name :
    • Dawi, Thawi Santha, Dhaula, Dhaura, Dhai, Dhawai, Dhatuki (Hindi)
    • Dhaataki (Kannada)
    • Jargi, Seringi, Gaddaisinka (Telugu)
    • Dhai, Dhatuki, Dhatki, Dhatuk, Jaliko, Harwari, Dhia, Jhattiko, Dhataki (Oria)
    • Thathiripoovu, Thathiri (Malayalam)
    • Parvati, Bahupuspika (Sanskrit)
    • Ras Dhayenro (Nepali)
  • Habit : Shrub
  • Habitat : Common on slopes, also in hills
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated as medicinal plant
  • Key identification features : Bark reddish-brown, peeling off in fibres. Flowers in axillary clusters, on slender pedicels. Capsules enclosed by the persistent calyx tube
  • Flower, Fruit : November-May
  • Distribution :
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kozhikode district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Ernakulam district, Alappuzha district, Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Uttarakhand : Nainital district
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : Bankura, Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri district, Midnapur, Purulia
    • Himachal Pradesh : Chamba district, Kangra district, Kinnaur district, Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Haryana : Gurgaon district
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Jammu and Kashmir : Jammu and Kashmir
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Comoros, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Comoros, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1.
    • Sudhakar Reddy, C et al., 2009. Tree Wealth of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Maheshwari K.J (1963). Flora of Delhi: 161-162
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 291
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Woodfordia fruticosa. Downloaded on 30 April 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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