Hybanthus travancoricus (Beddome) Melchior in Engler & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ed. 2. 21: 360. 1925. Ionidium travancoricum Beddome, Ic. Pl. Ind. Or. 1: 55, t. 230. 1868 - 1874.

Shrubs, up to 1.75 m high; branches erect, woody, glabrous, terete below, angled towards apex. Leaves subsessile, linear-lanceolate, distantly serrate, acuminate at apex, 1 - 9 x 0.5 - 2.5 cm, glabrous; stipules subulate, glandular-puberulous. Peduncles 1 - 2 cm long, bibracteolate towards apex. Flowers pink. Sepals equal, subulate, recurved. Petals variable, lower petal with a long claw, saccate and furnished with 2 spurs, others falcate, upper 2 only ciliate. Stamens 5; anthers nearest to large petal with a round gibbous spur at base. Seeds 6 - 9, white.

Fl. & Fr. Aug. - Sept.

Distrib. India: Hills of Tirunelveli and Travancore at 650 to 1000 m. Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Notes. Endemic to southern parts of Western Ghats.

Chromosome number reported: 2n = 32 (Gadella, Kilphus et al. in Acta Bot. Neerl. 18:74 - 83. 1969).

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