How to identify Thutta
Identify Thutta by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Hard woody fruit.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow-green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-September.
- Confirm it sits within the Annonaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Thutta.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Alphonsea sclerocarpa
- Genus
- Alphonsea
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry evergreen and deciduous forests and also in sacred groves and Sholas above 1100m
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“Leaves are simple and alternate.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“Leaves are simple and alternate.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Thutta itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellow-greenrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Thutta itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Thutta, തുട്ട, Alphonsea sclerocarpa
About Thutta
Alphonsea sclerocarpa is a tree in the Annonaceae family. It grows in dry evergreen and deciduous forests and also in sacred groves and Sholas above 1100m. Flowering and fruiting run from February to September.
Annonaceae
Custard apple family
Thutta belongs to the Annonaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Annonaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Thutta or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides