Sterculia urens Roxb.

 
  • Family : STERCULIACEAE
    (Sterculia Or Cocoa Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GURHAL FAMILY (गुड़हल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Malvaceae
  • Basionym : Cavallium urens (Roxb.) Schott & Endl.
  • Synonym(s) : Clompanus urens (Roxb.) Kuntze; Kavalama urens (Roxb.) Raf.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Sterculia urens Roxb.
  • Common name : Kateera-gum, Katira, Kulu, Sterculia gum, Gum Karaya
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kulu, Gulu, Gular (Hindi)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical moist deciduous forests, Tropical dry deciduous forests, Scrub
  • Comments / notes : An exudate known as Gum karaya from the trunk is valuable and used in pharmaceutical, textile, cosmetic and food industries
  • Key identification features : Bark pale whitish smooth peeling off in flakes. Flowers foetid. Follicles reddish yellow, woody, densely pubescent with stiff stinging bristles
  • Flower, Fruit : October-May
  • Distribution :
    • Telangana : Throughout Telangana
    • Karnataka : Tumakuru (Siddarabetta)
    • Maharashtra : Palghar (Tandulwadi)
    • Tamil Nadu : Coimbatore district, Dindigul district, Kanyakumari district, The Nilgiri district, Salem district, Theni district, Tirunelveli district
    • Madhya Pradesh : Madhya Pradesh
    • Gujarat : Junagadh
    • Delhi : Vasant Kunj (Delhi)
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Literature :
    • Maheshwari K.J (1963). Flora of Delhi: 84
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Sterculia urens
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Sterculia urens. Downloaded on 30 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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