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Rubia manjith Roxb. ex Fleming, Asiat. Res. 11: 177 1810. (Syn: Rubia cordifolia var. khasiana G.Watt; Rubia cordifolia var. munjista (Roxb.) Miq.; Rubia cordifolia f. tetramera Makino; Rubia munjista Roxb.);
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Common name: Manjith • Bengali: manjit, manjistha, majith • Hindi: मंजीठ Manjith • Kannada: chitravalli, manjista • Malayalam: poont • Mizo: manjishtha, munjistha • Nepali: मजीठो Majitho • Tamil: manditta, manjitti • Telugu: mandastic, tamravalli
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Keys
1a. Dried plants flushed with red, particularly on lower leaf side; corolla rotate, purplish red, red, or orange, with spreading lobes of 1.2-1.5 mm;
mature fruit dark red………..Rubia manjith
1b. Dried plants green, gray, or yellowish (if rarely flushed with red then corollas campanulate with reflexed lobes); corolla white, yellow, greenish, or red;
mature fruit black, dark blue, or orange………2
2a. Stems smooth or sparsely aculeolate; petiole usually up to 6 cm long; flowers purplish red, greenish yellowish, or whitish; fruit 3.5-4 mm in diam.,
black at maturity………….Rubia wallichiana
2b. Stems rather markedly or sparsely aculeolate; flowers greenish, yellowish, or whitish; fruit 4-6(-7) mm in diam., orange at maturity……..Rubia cordifolia
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Flora of Chakrata: Rubia manjith from Tiger fall Road Chakrata:
Rubia manjith from Tiger fall Road Chakrata We were sticking to id R cordifolia but this time flowers helped us to get the correct id. As i have never seen earlier this in flowering. Yes I was about to say this to be Rubia cordifolia when I checked your further additional information. Good one. R cordifolia bears pale flowers    VoF Week : Climber for ID : RS: Rubia manjith        VOF Week: Rubia manjith from Ghanghariya-Gobind Ghat Trek:This tiny herb was shot from the way down to Gobind Ghat from Ghanghariya, Rubia manjith..(Rubiaceae).. Good catch. I had seen this last year at Manali.          VoF Week :: DV :: 01 AUG 12 – 0127 :: Rubia ¿ species ? along Govind Ghat – Ghangaria trail:1 AUG 12 Govind Ghat – Ghangaria trail … about 8300 ft Habitat: mountain slope Habit: climber, about 2 – 4 m long; flower about 2 – 3 mm across – perhaps in opening stage. … would it be Rubia manjith ? … the flowers look comparatively smaller than those found in others’ posts OR at FOI. … please look at another set of views below – got during return journey This looks like Rubia manjith only. Characteristic leaves, 4-angled stems, they all agree. Probably because the inflorescence has not bloomed, it looks a bit different. Thats my guess. Many thanks … for validating … me too think strongly that this would be R. manjith. I think yes, Rubia manjith.     VoF Week: Rubia manjith from Ghanghariya Gobind Ghat Trek:Rubia manjith from Ghanghariya Gobind Ghat Trek Yes … Nice photographs for my own edification, would love to see the leaves and the plant habit if you have it . Rubiaceae Week:Rubia manjith from Tiger fall Road Chakrata: Complete set. Good upload   Rubiaceae Week: Rubia manjith Roxb. ex Fleming from Chakrata: syn: Rubia cordifolia var. khasiana G.Watt; R. cordifolia var. munjista (Roxburgh) Miquel
These two plants have confused me since i collected two very distinct species of Rubia, not able to place precisely because most authors considered R. manjith as synonym of R. cordifolia, and as such I named one with broader leaves as R. cordifolia and narrow leaved in R. manjith. Today while looking at the nomenclature in The Plant list and descriptions in eFlora of china where both are described as distinct species, I realised that it was rather reverse, a decision reinforced by looking at our collections in flower from Chakrata which had red flowers, broader leaves and even young fruits looking red. There are rather three closely related species differentiated as under:
1a. Dried plants flushed with red, particularly on lower leaf side; corolla rotate, purplish red, red, or orange, with spreading lobes of 1.2-1.5 mm; mature fruit dark red……….Rubia manjith
1b. Dried plants green, gray, or yellowish (if rarely flushed with red then corollas campanulate with reflexed lobes); corolla white, yellow, greenish, or red; mature fruit black, dark blue, or orange……..2
2a. Stems smooth or sparsely aculeolate; petiole usually up to 6 cm long; flowers purplish red, greenish yellowish, or whitish; fruit 3.5-4 mm in diam.,
black at maturity………Rubia wallichiana
2b. Stems rather markedly or sparsely aculeolate; flowers greenish, yellowish, or whitish; fruit 4-6(-7) mm in diam., orange at maturity…Rubia cordifolia
Here are my photographs of what I think Rubia manjith from Chakrata
       Rubiaceae week:: Rubia cordifolia at Manali and Bhimashankar:Sharing photographs of Rubia cordifolia from Manali and Bhimashankar. Family: Rubiaceae Flowers seen at Manali were red where as one from Bhimashankar were greenish. Thanks … for bringing this out for discussion again. The problem has been that all three species have mostly been treated as one species only but now that all three are treated as distinct and looking at the key in Flora of china, this plant has red petals could be Rubia manjith. The last two photographs, however, belong to a different plant. Yes, the last 3 photographs belong to Bhimashankar WLS. Yes … and Thanks to … for sorting out this issue. Actually in one of my earlier post, i remember the one from Manali with reddish flowers was identified as R. cordifolia. Good that … has given fresh look to this post. Thanks a lot.     ID request-101010-PKA1:Came across this climber at Manali. Appearance wise to me it looked like some Rubia sp.?? Flowers were small (few mm) reddish brown in colour. I remembered earlier … has uploaded Rubia sp from Manali. (efi thread). Kindly have a look at the pics for ID. Date/Time: 25-09-2010 / 04:15PM Location: Manali (on the way to Hadimba temple), Himachal Pradesh. Habitat: Wild Plant Habit: Climber Yes Rubia cordifolia, red flowers are often found in Asiatic specimens. Rubia manjith Roxb. ex Fleming as per latest thread
Rubia cordifolia?/ABJAN01_Update : 1 post by 1 author.
More berries on a Rubia cordifolia. The berries disintegrate readily oozing an inky sap. Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
1750m
07 January 2015
Rubia cordifolia?/ABJAN01 : 19 posts by 5 authors. 3 images.
I found these black berries on a Madder vine while observing a smilax nearby. The leaves were browning but the square stalk and the rough texture suggested Rubia cordifolia. Please advise. Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
1750m
01 January 2015 Found a Rubia cordifolia shrub flowering today and thought of sharing the photos. Some flowers from my walk to Triund on 21 August. 3 images.
I hope Rubia manjith Roxb. ex Fleming
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Manjith.html
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-180331 In our Forum, more efi thread 1 Thank you very much … I was confused as some authors treat the two under R. cordifolia. The authors of Flora of Chamba are of the same opinion. I had missed your note on the group site. Perhaps good research project for you.
You have enough information on eFlora of China for foundation
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=128835 Thank you … I will try my best! Pl. see images & herbarium of R. wallichiana below:
Thank you … A comment from Floras of China about R. wallichiana reflects the confusion; Forests, forest margins, thickets, open fields, village fences; 300-2600 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Nepal].
The above description and distribution data of Rubia wallichiana have been taken over from H. S. Lo (in FRPS 71(2): 315-316. 1999). There are hardly any differential characters relative to R. cordifolia s.s. aside from vague references to less prickly stems or differences in flower and fruit color (see key). Thus, this dubious taxon clearly belongs to R. ser. Cordifoliae. Deb and Malick (Bull. Bot. Surv. India 10(1): 1-16. 1968) do not even mention R. wallichiana. In Fl. Bhutan (2(2): 823-825. 1999) the name is used in a wide sense and evidently includes what is here treated as R. cordifolia, R. sylvatica, and possibly even R. argyi. The Kew Rubiaceae checklist (Govaerts et al., World Checkl. Rubiaceae; http://www.kew.org/wcsp/rubiaceae/; accessed on 15 Sep 2010) accepts R. wallichiana as a distinct species. We have hardly seen specimens from China that clearly correspond to R. wallichiana (and not to other taxa of R. cordifolia agg.). In view of all this, we regard R. wallichiana as a possible synonym of R. cordifolia s.s. but maintain it as a species in the present flora in order to stimulate its clarification.
And about R. manjith here;
Broad-leaved forests, Pinus forests and thickets; 700-3600 m. Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Nepal].
Rubia manjith belongs to R. ser. Cordifoliae. Among the taxa with small rotate flowers (R. cordifoliaagg.) it is mainly characterized by its conspicuous reddish cast, particularly on lower leaf sides and flowers (see additional comments under R. cordifolia). A similar cast also appears in the otherwise quite different R. podantha, a taxon with campanulate flowers.
Deb and Malick (Bull. Bot. Surv. India 10(1): 6-8. 1968), after a lengthy discussion, treated Rubia manjith (“R. munjista”) as a synonym of R. cordifolia only and identified it with R. cordifolia var. khasiana. In contrast, Long (Fl. Bhutan 2(2): 823-825. 1999) distinguished R. manjith from R. cordifolia largely by its red cast, both alive and dried, but agreed with the inclusion of R. cordifoliavar. khasiana as a synonym. The same was maintained by H. S. Lo (in FRPS 71(2): 314. 1999), who added “R. cordifolia f. rubra Kitamura” as a synonym of R. manjith and qualified it as “nom. non rite publ.” Both Deb and Malick (loc. cit.) and Long (loc. cit.) mention the economic and historical importance of the taxon as a source of an excellent red dye.
And R. cordifolia;
Sparse forests, forest margins, grasslands; 300-2800 m. Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Hunan, Qinghai, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia (Far East); S and SE Asia to Sri Lanka and Java, through the Himalaya to Afghanistan; (sub)tropical Africa].
As noted by most previous authors (Pojarkova, Fl. URSS 23: 387-391. 1958; Ehrendorfer et al., Fl. Iranica 176: 52-53. 2005), the plants included in Rubia cordifolia s.l. comprise a geographically very widespread (from E and SE Asia to Afghanistan, from Sudan to S Africa), morphologically extremely “polymorphic,” polyploid, and still most insufficiently understood racial complex. Its populations, together with related taxa, have been grouped into R. ser. Cordifoliae by Pojarkova (loc. cit.), characterized by their generally clambering to climbing habit; leaves and leaflike stipules in whorls of 4 or more, petiolate, palmately 3-7-veined; and corollas rotate to shortly campanulate, with anthers ellipsoid, somewhat curved, and 4-6 × shorter than the corolla lobes. Depending on narrow or wider species concepts and differential characters chosen, the elements of this series have been quite variously treated. In the present flora the following 16 species are assembled in R.ser. Cordifoliae: 1. R. alata, 2. R. argyi, 5. R. cordifolia, 6. R. crassipes, 14. R. linii, 17. R. manjith, 18. R. membranacea, 19. R. oncotricha, 20. R. ovatifolia, 21. R. pallida, 22. R. podantha, 25. R. pterygocaulis, 27. R. salicifolia, 31. R. sylvatica, 35. R. trichocarpa, and 37. R. wallichiana. Species 5, 14, 20, 31, and 37 are so close and linked by occasional intermediates that they can be understood as R. cordifolia s.l. or R. cordifolia agg. The above species description refers to R. cordifolia s.s.
The type specimen of Rubia cordifolia in the Linnaean Herbarium (no. 131.7, LINN) has no flowers or fruit, but its distinct habit with leaves in whorls of 4, oblong-cordate, acute, and with long petioles corresponds to the above description of the species in a more narrow sense and to the figure in H. S. Lo (in FRPS 71(2): 307, t. 68, f. 7-12. 1999). The complications in the typification of R. cordifoliahave been detailed by Jarvis (Order Out of Chaos, 800. 2007). The description by Linnaeus was emended by Gaertner (Novi Comment. Acad. Petrop. 14(1): 541. 1770). The original reference to “4-merous flowers” may have been due to the occasional occurrence of 4- among the typical 5-merous flowers or simply to a mistake. The fruit were originally described as unknown, but later their color was given as red. Pojarkova (loc. cit.: 466-467) noted for R. cordifolia and for R. ser. Cordifoliae as a whole that the fruit were orange or brownish when immature and black when fully mature and dry. Personal observations revealed a group of distinctive Chinese specimens with vegetative parts drying yellowed and the mature, or near-mature, fruit drying clear bright orange but evidently turning black at maturity (e.g., Fu Kunjun 10394, MO!). Thus, fruit color may be of taxonomic relevance in Rubia but is in need of more detailed studies.
Even with the present, rather narrow circumscription, there is still much variation among the Chinese populations of Rubia cordifolia. This refers to indumentum, consistency, shape and size of leaves, number of leaves and leaflike stipules per whorl, flower shape, and fruit color. Leaf indumentum does not seem to be correlated with that of the inflorescence axes. Instead, either may be glabrous or pubescent, apparently independently, which is unusual in Rubiaceae. In zones of contact, particularly with the closely related R. sylvatica and R. ovatifolia, one has to expect transitional individuals. The status of R. wallichiana (see there) and its separation from R. cordifoliais doubtful anyway.
The infraspecific synonymy of Rubia cordifolia listed above follows H. S. Lo (loc. cit.: 315); it has not yet been checked in detail for lack of any more authoritative treatment of R. ser. Cordifoliae. Rubia cordifolia var. coriacea was not listed by H. S. Lo and is here synonymized provisionally, as we have seen no authentic material. According to its protologue, it differs from typical R. cordifolia in its subleathery leaves, which are glabrous below. With respect to R. cordifolia var. munjista (Roxburgh) Miquel see R. manjith.
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I will inspect the plants for red tinge and dry a couple of twigs too and report back. Plants nearby haven’t started flowering yet but I will keep an eye and try the same plant for flowers and fruits for a clear idea. Thanks, … You are turning out to be a budding taxonomist. Thank you … Taxonomist is a big word, I am just trying to solve the mysteries (to me!) of my local flora. Superb!!! Should we take it as Rubia manjith (as per images herein) for the time being ? I would think so. That is the closest match unless we consider it under the R. cordifolia group. I will wait for the dried sample and the fruit to update our record on the features. . Rubiaceae Week: Rubia wallichiana from Manali pl validate:
Looking at narrower leaves, longer petiole and blackish fruit it appears to me to be Rubia wallichiana Decne. Photographed from Manali in October 2009 I think these do not match with images & herbarium of R. wallichiana below:
It may be Rubia manjith only as per images in thread: VoF Week :: DV :: 01 AUG 12 – 0127 :: Rubia ¿ species ? along Govind Ghat – Ghangaria trail    Rubia manjith from Manali – efloraofindia | Google Groups : 9 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (3) I consider this to be the typical R. manjith (sometimes considered as synonym of variable R. cordifolia) and is very distinct from my other plant (R. cordifolia) in being very lax in habit, much larger and spreading inflorescence, leaves with much longer petiole and distinctly narrower leaf blade and more importantly the fruit is blackish in colour. Thanks for the post… a very important drug in Ayurveda. . . Called as “Manjishta“…the Rubia species in western ghats are some how the same as found in this photo. . .which we consider as R.cordifolia. . .I have heard of two other species which are also taken in the name of manjishta. they are R.tinctorum (available in the himalayas) & R. sikkimensis (Available in North East). . .but looking into both your posts am confused a bit… the fruits of Manjishta in W.ghats are purely black when they are ripe. . .when i get the photos i will post them Rubia tinctorum is a much different species with much smaller (hardly 2-3 mm long) petiole and elliptic-lanceolate leaves:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=96553&flora_id=5
I could not get the description of R. sikkimensis. Any member may kindly help. Nearly all databases consider Rubia manjith as a synonym of Rubia cordifolia Sir Ji I know yes, all except “An annotated checklist of Flowering Plants of Nepal” who treats it as distinct species. However, the fact is that the two plants I have uploaded are so distinct (As enumerated by me in the upload) that I did not feel like considering them same. In Flora of Pakistan The description of R cordifolia matches with your plant. …, it would because it considers R. manjith as synonym of R. cordifolia. Typical R. cordifolia does not have black fruits. Thats true Sir. If there is no intermediate forms, and if it is possible to distinguish these two forms by morpho/ anatomy/ palynology etc. you can reinstate the specific status of R. manjith, as you know. It is a matter of taxonomic judgement as they are heterotypic. In fact most Japanese workers including Tiara (Fl. E. Himal, 1966), Hara (Enumeration of Flowering Plants of Nepal, 1984) and recently Shreshta & Sutton (Enumeration of Flowering plants of Nepal, 2000), treat R. manjith as distinct from R. cordifolia. May be Rubia wallichiana Decne. as per Rubiaceae Week: Rubia wallichiana from Manali pl validate by … I think these do not match with images & herbarium of R. wallichiana below:
It may be Rubia manjith only as per images in thread: Location: Chalnakhel , Nepal
Altitude: 5000 ft.
Date: 12 November 2016
Rubia manjith Roxb. (accepted name) Nepali name: मजिठो Majitho / तिरो लहरा Tiro Laharaa Very interesting. Ripe fruits : Nagarkot, Nepal / 28 December 2016 / 7000 ft. Attachments (5) Location: Shivapuri National Park,Nepal
Date: 24 August 2018
Elevation:6200 ft.
Habit : Wild Rubia ! Which one ?? It looks like R manjith. I was with this opinion. Thank you.         SK1962 01 June 2019 : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (8)- around 650 kb each.
Location: Chandragiri, Kathmandu, Nepal
Altitude: 2511 m.
Date: 27 May 2019
Habit : Wild
Rubia manjith Roxb. ?? I think matches with Rubia manjith Roxb. ex Fleming as per comparative images at Rubia .
Rubia manjith Roxb.: 5 very high res. images.
Location: Chandragiri, Kathmandu, Nepal
Date: 31 October 2023 Altitude : 1768m. Habit : Wild
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