Palaquium ellipticum (Dalzell) Baill.

 
  • Family : SAPOTACEAE
    (Sapodilla Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : CHIKOO FAMILY (चीकू फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Sapotaceae
  • Basionym : Bassia elliptica Dalzell
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Palaquium ellipticum (Dalzell) Baill.
  • Common name : Indian Gutta Percha
  • Vernacular name :
    • Panchoti mara, Natigattapercha (Kannada)
    • Choppala, Iluppakkai, Pachendi, Pali (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical evergreen forests
  • Comments / notes : Occasional in evergreen forests of Western Ghats at elevations 490-1330 m. Timber is used for building purposes
  • Key identification features : A large tree, with a straight cylincrical trunk and milky latex. Leaves coriaceous, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, abruptly acuminate at apex. Flowers axillary; calyx-lobes 6 in 2 series, outer 3 valvate, inner 3 imbricate, broadly ovate. Stamens 12-18; filaments very short. Ovary villous, 6-celled; style subulate. Berry c.2.5 cm long, ellipsoid, 1-seeded.
  • Flower, Fruit : January-July
  • Collection Nos : Raghavan 97267, Raghavan 74224
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Dakshina Kannada district, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Shivamogga district, Uttara Kannada district, Udupi district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Thrissur district, Idukki district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district
    • Tamil Nadu : Coimbatore district, The Nilgiri district, Tirunelveli district, Kanyakumari district
  • Native : India
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • Endemism : Western Ghats
  • World Distribution : India
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Flora of Karnataka, Saldanha, 1984
    • Balakrishna Gowda & A.N. Sringesh 2004 – Sringeri (checklist unpublished)
    • Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Flora of Coorg district, Karnataka state
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Navendu Page (2017). Endemic woody plants of the Western Ghats.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Palaquium ellipticum
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Palaquium ellipticum. Downloaded on 30 January 2026.

Botanical Description

Field Image(s)

Habitat

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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