Trapa natans var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino

 
  • Family : TRAPACEAE
    (Water-Chestnut Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : SINGHARA FAMILY (सिंघाड़ा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Lythraceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Trapa natans var. bispinosa (Roxb.) Makino
  • Common name : Water Chestnut, Singhara nut, Water Caltrops
  • Vernacular name :
    • Singhara, Singada, Pani-Phal (Hindi)
    • Neeru acrotu (Kannada)
    • Kubyakama (Telugu)
    • Pani singara (Oria)
    • Shudghaatak (Sanskrit)
  • Habit : Herb
  • Comments / notes : Common aquatic herb in open tanks and along river beds. The plant is edible and used in cooking by Asians.
  • Key identification features : Stoloniferous, free floating aquatic herb; Leaves crowded, rhomboid, dentate, petiole base modified into a spongy float; Fruits oblong with 2 spines, edible.
  • Flower, Fruit : August-December
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : West Godavari district
    • Odisha : Mayurbhanj district
    • Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Himachal Pradesh : Bilaspur district, Sirmaur district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Jammu and Kashmir : Jammu and Kashmir
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Amur, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, India, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Malawi, Manchuria, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Prim
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Amur, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, India, Japan, Jawa, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Malawi, Manchuria, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Primorye, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 299
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Trapa natans var. bispinosa
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Trapa natans var. bispinosa. Downloaded on 27 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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