Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz

 
  • Family : APOCYNACEAE
    (Dogbane Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : KARONDA FAMILY (करौंदा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Apocynaceae
  • Basionym : Ophioxylon album Gaertn.; Ophioxylon obversum Miq.; Ophioxylon salutiferum Salisb.; Ophioxylon trifoliatum Gaertn.; Rauvolfia obversa (Miq.) Baill.; Rauvolfia serpentina var. obversa (Miq.) Bakh.f.; Rauvolfia trifoliata (Gaertn.) Baill.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Rauvolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz
  • Common name : Indian Snakeroot, Rauvolfia root, Serpentine wood, Serpentine
  • Vernacular name :
    • Chandrabhaga, Sarpagandh (Hindi)
    • Sarpagandhi, Shivanabhiballi, Patalagandhi, Garudapataala (Kannada)
    • Sarpaganthi, Sivan amalpodi (Tamil)
    • Sarpagandham, Patal gandhi, Patal gani, Paataala garuda, Pathala garadi (Telugu)
    • Patal garur, Patal goruda, Patal giridi, Bhuin karua (Oria)
    • Sarpagandha (Sanskrit)
    • Amalpori, Avalpori, Chuvannavilpuri, Sarpagandhi, Vanduvazha (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Habitat : Tropical moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
  • Comments / notes : Occasionally planted in gardens on hills. Cultivated for medicine
  • Flower, Fruit : April-November
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Andhra Pradesh
    • Karnataka : Dakshina Kannada district
    • Kerala : Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Thane district
    • Odisha : Odisha
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Dibang valley, Kameng, Siang
    • Assam : Assam
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Jawa, Lakshadweep Islands, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Jawa, Lakshadweep Islands, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • G.S Giri., A.Pramanik., H.J. Chowdhery., G.D Pal and S.K. Das (2008). Materials for Arunachal Pradesh, Vol (2), Pg: 158-160
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Rauvolfia serpentina. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution

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