Herbarium JCB

Xeromphis spinosa (Thunb.) Keay

Family : RUBIACEAE
Family (As per The Plant List) : Rubiaceae
Species : Xeromphis spinosa
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng.
Common name : Emetic nut, Common Emetic nut
Vernacular name : Madana phala (San.); Madan (Hin.); Kare, Mangeri, Kaarekaayi-gida (Kan.)
Collection Nos : HFP 2755, CJS 14398, KFP 7706, KFP 8741
Key identification features : A large spiny shrub. Spines are axillary. Leaves are usually fascicled on short shoots, obovate, ovate or spathulate. Flowers are solitary or 2-3 together at the ends of short shoots. Corolla at first is white, afterwards becoming yellow. Disc is annular or cushion-shaped. Ovary is 2-celled with many axile ovules. Fruit a many-seeded berry.
Habit : Tree
Comments : Common in dry forest areas and scrub. Wood is used for making walking sticks. Bark and fruits medicinal. Fruits are edible after roasting.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Bagalkot, Bangalore, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamrajnagar, Chikamagalur, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Haveri, Kodagu, Kolar, Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Ramanagara, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Yadgir
Floras referred : Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Hassan; Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Bangalore; N.P.Singh, 1988- Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara