Herbarium JCB

Strychnos nux-vomica L.

Family : LOGANIACEAE
(Logania Family)
Family (Hindi name) : KAJARA FAMILY (कजरा फैमिली)
Family (as per The APG System III) : LOGANIACEAE
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Strychnos nux-vomica L.
Common name : Poison nut Tree, Quaker Button, Nux-vomica Tree, Snakewood Tree, Strychnine tree
Vernacular name : Kuchala, Kajara (Hindi); Kasarkana mara, Kaasarka (Kannada); Ettimaram, Kanjaram, Yetti, Kancharam (Tamil); Mushti, Mushini, Visha mushti, Pedda mushti (Telugu); Karaskara (Sanskrit); Etti, Kangnalam, Kanjiram, Kanniram, Kariram (Malayalam); Kochila, Kora, Kochila khai, Kosila (Oria)
Habit : Tree
Habitat : Moist and dry deciduous forests, also in the plains
Comments / notes : Common in deciduous forests of all hill ranges up to 1400m, often undisturbed near habitations or by arable lands. Seeds are poisonous and used for the extraction of alkaloids like strychnine and brucine
Flower, Fruit : March-December
Distribution :
- Andhra Pradesh : Srikakulam district, Vishakapatnam district, Vizianagaram district, East Godavari district, West Godavari district, Krishna district, Guntur district, Prakasam district, Kurnool district, Nellore district, Kadapa district, Anantapur district, Chittoor district
- Kerala : All districts of Kerala
- Tamil Nadu : Alagar Hills (Madurai district), Kolli Hills (Namakkal district), Shevaroy Hills, Kalrayan Hills, Bodamalai Hills (Salem district), Pachamalai Hills (Tiruchirapalli district), Chitteri Hills, Yelagiri Hills (Vellore district), Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district), Piranmalai Hills (Sivaganga district), Theerthamalai Hills, Dharmapuri Hills (Dharmapuri district), Gingee Hill (Villipuram district), Javadu Hills (Tiruvannamalai district)
World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, Malesia, Myanmar, Siam
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4; J.L.Ellis, 1990- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2; 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., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983; Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
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=Strychnos nux-vomica. Downloaded on 20 May 2024.