Olax imbricata Roxb.

 
  • Family : OLACACEAE
    (Olax Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : DHENIANI FAMILY
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Olacaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Loranthus mitchellii Wall.; Fissilia psittacorum Blanco; Olax laxiflora Ridl.; Olax loranthiformis Griff.; Olax merguensis Planch. ex Mast.; Olax multiflora Ridl.; Olax multiflora Rich. ex Baill.; Olax rosea Ridl.; Olax seminifera Valeton; Olax sphaerocarpa Griff.; Olax wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Olax imbricata Roxb.
  • Vernacular name :
    • Gopurakaayi, Saraliballi (Kannada)
    • Kukurbit (Marathi)
    • Vandathuluku (Tamil)
    • Mannankoran-kodi (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Liana
  • Habitat : Tropical evergreen forests, Tropical semi-evergreen forests, Tropical moist deciduous forests, Shola
  • Comments / notes : A gregarious liana on shola trees with arching branches
  • Key identification features : A scandent unarmed shrub. Flowers white, crowded, in small axillary racemes; petals 6, united in pairs; perfect stamens 3, with 5-6 bifid staminodes. Fruits enveloped by the accrescent calyx.
  • Flower, Fruit : December-June
  • Collection Nos : CJS 2791, CJS 12412, CJS 16319
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Hassan district, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Uttara Kannada district
    • Kerala : Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Kollam district
    • Maharashtra : Mumbai Suburban district, Kolhapur district, Pune district, Raigad district, Ratnagiri district, Sindhudurg district, Thane district
    • Tamil Nadu : Krishnagiri district, Coimbatore district, Madurai district, Ramanathapuram district, Tirunelveli district, Dharmapuri district, Salem district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : South Andaman
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indo-China, Thailand, SW. China, Taiwan, Malesia through New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Micronesia
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Saldanha, C. J. 1996. Flora of Karnataka vol. 2
    • Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Flora of Coorg district, Karnataka state
    • N.P. Sing & S. Karthikeyan 2000. Flora of Maharashtra 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.
    • Parkinson, C.E. 1923. A Forest Flora of the Andaman Islands, Govt. of India, Shimla: 125
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Olax imbricata
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Olax imbricata. Downloaded on 22 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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