Commiphora berryi (Arn.) Engl.

 
  • Family : BURSERACEAE
    (Bursera Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : SALAI FAMILY
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Burseraceae
  • Basionym : Balsamodendrum berryi Arn.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Commiphora berryi (Arn.) Engl.
  • Common name : Indian Balm of Gilead
  • Vernacular name :
    • Mulkiluvai (Tamil)
    • Usuva (Malayalam)
    • Benda, Gajjilikai, Iyhali (Kannada)
    • Mul-kiluvai (Tamil)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical dry deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Rare, in scrub jungles to 600m. Plant yields a resin. In almost all hilly regions of Tamil Nadu
  • Key identification features : Tree, thorny, branchlets ending with a spine at the tip. Bark is silvery-purplish, smooth
  • Flower, Fruit : February-August
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Krishna district, Guntur district
    • Kerala : Idukki district
    • Tamil Nadu : Sirumalai Hills (Dindigul district), Tiruchirapalli district
  • Native : India, Sri Lanka
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka
  • 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
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2025). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Commiphora berryi. Downloaded on 6 July 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution

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