Aranthal / Sack Tree
Antiaris toxicaria
Also known as Upas Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- January-April
How to identify Aranthal
Identify Aranthal 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: Highly toxic latex sap (upas tree).
- Confirm leaf shape: Obovate.
- Confirm leaf surface: Hirsute (coarsely hairy).
- Confirm fruit type: Drupe.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: January-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Antiaris toxicaria
- Genus
- Antiaris
- Family
- Moraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- Paleotropics
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- ObovaterecordedEgg-shaped but broader near the tip rather than the base.“The leaves are elliptic to obovate, 7–19 cm long and 3–6 cm broad.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Aranthal itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The edible fruit is a red or purple drupe 2 cm in diameter, with a single seed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Catkin
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Aranthal itself; the rest are typical of the Moraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Aranthal, Maravuri; Aranjelli, അരയാഞ്ഞിലി
- Marathi
- चांदकुडा
About Aranthal
A member of the Moraceae family, Sack Tree (Antiaris toxicaria) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 1 other states. It grows in evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests, also in the sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from January to April.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Moraceae
Fig/Mulberry family
Aranthal belongs to the Moraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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.
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