FoI
Karun Kurinji
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Karun Kurinji
ative Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Karun Kurinji • Marathi: अकरा Akra • Tamil: கருங் குரிஞ்ஜி Karun Kurinji
Botanical name: Strobilanthes heyneanus    Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)
Synonyms: Nilgirianthus heyneanus

Karun Kurinji is an undershrub, about a meter high, with grooved stem, often covered with hairs. Oppositely arranged, unequal, ovate leaves are hairy and have serrated margin. Blue urn-shaped flowers 1-1.2 cm long, occur in axillary spikes. Five sepals are united at the base. Flower tube is swollen in the middle, and has 5, rounded petals. The swollen part is whitish in color. Stamens 4, filaments hairy at base. Capsule 6-8 mm long, oblong, 4-seeded. Karun kurinji is mostly found in South-West India, and thought to be a type of Kurinji. Like Kurinji, it flowers in long flowering cycle. Flowering: September-October.

Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed at Bhimashankar, Maharashtra.

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