• Family : CAPPARACEAE
  (Caper Family)
• Family (Hindi name) : KARIL FAMILY (करील फैमिली)
• Family (as per The APG System III) : CAPPARACEAE
• Basionym : Capparis oblongifolia Forssk.
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Maerua oblongifolia (Forssk.) A.Rich.
• Common name : Necklace-berried Caper
• Vernacular name : Nelasakaregedde (Kannada); Bhumichakkarai, Mochukkodi (Tamil); Peeluparni (Sanskrit); Kaba, Kalvari (Marathi)
• Habit : Shrub (Straggling)
• Habitat : Semi-arid and scrub jungles
• Comments / notes : Occasional along road sides. The root is highly medicinal and its pulp is edible. Tubers are harvested locally and often eaten during summer to quench thirst
• Key identification features : Woody climber on trees. Branches very brittle. Flowers greenish. Fruit beaded
• Flower, Fruit : January-June
• Collector(s) Name : Navendu Page, Arun Singh, Raja K. Swamy & K. Sankara Rao
• Collection Date : 24/03/2016
• Collection Nos : HJCB-0633
• Collection Locality : Foothills of Kollimalai, Namakkal district (TN)
• Distribution :
  • Andhra Pradesh : Vishakapatnam district, Kurnool district, Kadapa district, Anantapur district
  • Karnataka : Ballari district
  • Maharashtra : All deciduous forests
  • Odisha : Puri district, Khurda district, Ganjam district
  • Tamil Nadu : Alagar Hills (Madurai district), Kolli Hills (Namakkal district), Shevaroy Hills (Salem district), Kalrayan Hills (Salem district), Pachamalai Hills (Tiruchirapalli district), Bodamalai Hills (Salem district), Chitteri Hills (Vellore district), Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district), Yelagiri Hills (Vellore district), Dharmapuri Hills (Dharmapuri district), Piranmalai Hills (Sivaganga district), Theerthamalai Hills (Dharmapuri district), Gingee Hill (Villipuram district), Javadu Hills (Tiruvannamalai district)
• Native : India
• World Distribution : India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Arabia, Middle East, Africa
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983; Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Raja K Swamy, Deepak Kumar, Arun Singh R. and K. Gopalakrishna Bhat (2019). Flora of Peninsular India. http://peninsula.ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Maerua oblongifolia. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.

Botanical Description

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