Muntingia calabura L.

 
  • Family : ELAEOCARPACEAE
    (Olivnut Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : RUDRAKSHA FAMILY (रुद्राक्ष फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Muntingiaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Muntingia calabura L.
  • Common name : Singapore cherry, Bird's cherry, Cotton Candy berry, Calabur, Jam tree, Manzanil
  • Vernacular name :
    • Ghas-gassey mara (Kannada)
    • Pancharappazham (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Garden plant
  • Comments / notes : Introduced and cultivated. Fruits are edible.
  • Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district (Kurnool district), Anantapur district (Anantapur district), Guntur district (Guntur district)
    • Karnataka : Dakshina Kannada district, Kolar district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Mumbai Suburban district, Mumbai-City district, Thane district
    • Tamil Nadu : Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district), and cultivated for edible fruits
  • Native : Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central American Pacific Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Venezuela
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Introduced in other tropics
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats 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
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Muntingia calabura
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Muntingia calabura. Downloaded on 28 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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