Lepisanthes tetraphylla (Vahl) Radlk.

 
  • Family : SAPINDACEAE
    (Soapberry Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : REETHA FAMILY (रीठा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Sapindaceae
  • Basionym : Sapindus tetraphyllus Vahl
  • Synonym(s) : Anomosanthes tetraphylla (Vahl) Pierre; Sapindus tetraphyllus Vahl; Ostodes appendiculata Hook.f.; Aglaia chartacea Kosterm.; Anomosanthes deficiens (Bedd.) Blume; Anomosanthes longifolia (Hiern) Pierre; Anomosanthes mekongensis Pierre; Cupania arborea Blume; Cupania canescens Pers.; Erioglossum alliaceum Zipp. ex Span.; Guioa spathulata C.E.C.Fisch.; Hemigyrosa canescens (Roxb.) Thwaites; Hemigyrosa canescens (Pers.) Blume; Hemigyrosa canescens var. cambodiana Pierre; Hemigyrosa deficiens Bedd.; Hemigyrosa longifolia Hiern; Lepisanthes acutissima Radlk.; Lepisanthes angustifolia Blume; Lepisanthes appendiculata (Hook.f.) Symington; Lepisanthes assamica Radlk.; Lepisanthes blumeana Koord. & Valeton; Lepisanthes cambodiana Pierre; Lepisanthes cuneata Hiern; Lepisanthes deficiens Radlk.; Lepisanthes eriolepis Radlk.; Lepisanthes granulata Radlk.; Lepisanthes kunstleri King; Lepisanthes listeri King ex Radlk.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Lepisanthes tetraphylla (Vahl) Radlk.
  • Common name : Wild Aphania
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kaluhatta, Moolaga (Hindi)
    • Kattupuvarasu, Nekota, Nehotaa, Kuhamathi (Tamil)
    • Korivi (Telugu)
    • Panikusun (Oria)
    • Kalpoovathi, Kulapunna, Naikolli, Poovalmaram (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Shrub or Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical semi-evergreen forests, Tropical evergreen forests; in sacred groves
  • Key identification features : Evergreen understorey shrubs or trees up to 15 m; Leaves compound, unipinnate, alternate, leaflets ovate-oblong to oblanceolate, 4 paired; margin entice; Flowers in axillary inflorescences, polygamous, dioecious; sepals 5, free; petals 5, free, whitish; stamens 8, free; style short, stout, stigma blunt; Fruits ellipsoid, fleshy, green when young, orange-yellow when mature, one-seeded.
  • Flower, Fruit : November-July
  • Collector(s) Name : Arun Singh, Imran Baig, A.N.Sringeswara
  • Collection Date : 04/08/2014
  • Collection Nos : HJCB-E-36
  • Collection Locality : Amirthi R.F., Vellore district (TN)
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Nellore district, Kurnool district, Guntur district, Chittoor district, Vishakapatnam district
    • Karnataka : Bengaluru district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Mumbai Suburban district, Pune district, Raigad district, Ratnagiri district, Sindhudurg district, Thane district
    • Tamil Nadu : All districts of Tamil Nadu
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • Pullaiah, T & Chennaiah, E., 1997. Flora of Andhra Pradesh. Vol. 1.
    • N.P. Singh & S. Karthikeyan 2000. Flora of Maharashtra vol 1. Botanical survey of India, Govt. India.
    • Navendu Page., Aparajita Datta., Bibidishananda Basu (2022). Trees of Arunachal Pradesh-a field guide, Pg: 410-411
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Lepisanthes tetraphylla. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution
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