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Strobilanthes callosa is a large shrub of the Western Ghats hills in India that grows 6 to 20 feet tall, dying back to dry stems each dry season. It is a plietesial plant that flowers mass-synchronously only about once every eight to ten years, so it is rarely grown in gardens.
Strobilanthes callosa (Synonym: Carvia callosa (Nees) Bremek) is a shrub found mainly in the low lying hills of the Western Ghats, all along the west coast of India. Its standardized Hindi name is maruadona (मरुआदोना) which it is called in the state of Madhya Pradesh where it is also found. In the state of Maharashtra, in the Marathi language, and other local dialects and in the neighboring state of Karnataka, the shrub is locally known as karvi (कारवी), sometimes spelled in English as karvy.
This shrub belongs to the genus Strobilanthes which was first scientifically described by Nees in the 19th century. The genus has around 350 species, of which at least 46 are found in India.
Strobilanthes callosa which is mostly peculiar to the hills of the Western Ghats (Sahyadris) in India can be seen growing wild around Mumbai, Tansa, Khandala, Bhimashankar, Malshej Ghat, Basgadh, Anjaneri, Dhodap, Salher-Mulher (Nashik region), Mulshi, Aurangabad (common on the Kannad and Ajanta ghats), Konkan etc. in the state of Maharashtra, parts of the state of Madhya Pradesh, parts of the state of Gujarat and in large areas of Belagavi and Uttara Kannada Ghats in the state of Karnataka among other places all along the Western Ghat hills on the west coast of India.
While the leaves of Strobilanthes callosa are poisonous, and unfit for human consumption, the plant is used as a traditional medicinal herb by the local adivasi tribals and villagers for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Its leaves are crushed and the juice obtained is believed to be a sure cure for stomach ailments.
Strobilanthes alternata · Strobilanthes sinuata · Persian Shield · Redflame · Coneflowers
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Strobilanthes callosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
