Thespesia danis Oliv.

 
  • Family : MALVACEAE
    (Mallow Or Hibiscus Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GURHAL FAMILY (गुड़हल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Malvaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Bupariti danis (Oliv.) Rothm.; Thespesia danis var. grandibracteata Chiov.; Thespesia danis var. somalica Chiov.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Thespesia danis Oliv.
  • Common name : Dye portia
  • Habit : Shrub or Tree
  • Habitat : Along coast, Cultivated
  • Key identification features : Shrub or tree ranging from 1-6 m in height, though it can reach 12-13(-20) m in exceptional cases; Crown dense, evergreen; Trunk straight, often twisted or bent, becoming hollow with age, can be branchless for up to 3 m, may lack buttresses, 20-60cm in diameter; Bark grey or light-brown, smooth to slightly fissured, becoming rough with age, inner bark pink to yellowish, tough, fibrous; Twigs glabrescent, green turning grey with age, covered with very small brown scales when young; Branches slender, may be covered in small brown scales; Leaves simple, alternate, spirally arranged, orbicular, deltoid, ovate or oblong, 10-20cm long, 6-13cm wide, margins entire, apex acuminate, base cordate, adaxial surface shiny dark green, abaxial surface paler, slightly thickened, leathery, becomes nearly hairless with age, petiole 5-10cm long, with saccate nectaries in axils of the basal veins; Flowers solitary, bisexual, borne in leaf axils, large, upto 4cm diameter, yellow with red, pink or purple centre; Petals 5, broad, rounded, oblique, each 5cm or more in length, pale yellow with maroon spot at the base, covered in tiny star-shaped hairs on outer surface; Calyx cup-shaped, green, about 10 mm high, 13 mm across, persistant, with 3-5 narrow green barcts; Stamens numerous, on a column about 2.5 cm long, joined at the base of the petals; Pistil -celled ovary, slender style, five broader stigmas; Fruit capsule, rounded but flattened, about 3cm in diameter, 2cm high, surface slightly five-ridged, dark grey, hard, woody, dry.
  • Flower, Fruit : May-June
  • Distribution :
    • Tamil Nadu : Nagapattinam district
  • Native : Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : E. & S. Ethiopia to E. Tanzania
  • Literature :
    • Narasimhan, D. & Irwin, Sheeba. (2021). Flowering Plants of Tamil Nadu: A Compendium.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Thespesia danis
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Thespesia danis. Downloaded on 4 October 2026.

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution
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