Herbarium JCB

Celastrus paniculatus Willd.

Family : CELASTRACEAE
(Staff-Tree Family)
Family (Hindi name) : MALKANGANI FAMILY (मालकांगनी फैमिली)
Family (as per The APG System III) : CELASTRACEAE
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Celastrus paniculatus Willd.
Common name : Black oil plant, Climbing staff plant, Intellect plant
Vernacular name : Malakamni, Malkungi, Malkangni (Hindi); Kari gonne, Gangudekayi, Jyotisumathi (Kannada); Valulurai (Tamil); Pengu, Pengumal, Karsano, Katta pengu, Laibeheda (Oria); Jyostismati (Sanskrit); Malkanguni, Dhimar-bel, Jyotishmati, Kangli, Kangun, Kazad-Kungoni, Kiri, Piwalvel (Marathi); Cherupunna, Jyothishmathi, Killithinipanji, Paluzhavam, Valuzhavam (Malayalam); Moner tiga, Jyothismati (Telugu)
Habit : Liana
Habitat : Moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests
Comments / notes : Occasional, on hills along forest borders to 1400m.
Key identification features : Climbing shrub
Flower, Fruit : March-December
Distribution :
- Andhra Pradesh : East Godavari district, Kurnool district, Vishakapatnam district, Chittoor district, Kadapa district, West Godavari district, Srikakulam district
- Karnataka : Chikkamagaluru district, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Ballari district, Kolar district
- Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kozhikode district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district
- Maharashtra : All districts of Maharashtra
- Odisha : Mayurbhanj district
- Tamil Nadu : All districts of Tamil Nadu
World Distribution : India, Siam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, China, Australia, New Caledonia
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 et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; 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; Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI; N.P. Sing & S. Karthikeyan 2000. Flora of Maharashtra vol 1. Botanical survey of India, Govt. India.
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=Celastrus paniculatus. Downloaded on 3 April 2025.