The present work, the leaves of Gherkin (Cucumis Sativus) treated with sulphuric acid and formaldehyde were used as an adsorbent for the removal of acid blue, acid red and malachite green from aqueous solution. The adsorption characteristics of all the three acid dyes on activated Gherkin leaf powder (GLP) were evaluated as a function of pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of adsorbate, temperature. The effective adsorption was found to be in pH range 3.4 to7.1, adsorbent dose 0.5g to 0.8g, initial concentration (1 x 10-5 to 5 x 10-5M) and Temperature range (308 to 318 K). The results reveal that maximum adsorption of all three acid dyes onto GLP is within the range of 59.80% to 71.0%. The adsorption data fitted well into Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models. The results show that Gherkin leaf powder holds a great potential in removal of acid dyes from industrial wastewater. © 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.