Kanta-Gur-Kamai / Mistletoe

Azima tetracantha

ShrubMedicinal

Habit: Shrub
Found in India: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal & more
Flowering: February-September

How to identify Kanta-Gur-Kamai

Identify Kanta-Gur-Kamai by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a shrub habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Sharp paired spines on the stem.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-September.
In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala.
Confirm it sits within the Salvadoraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kanta-Gur-Kamai.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Azima tetracantha
Genus: Azima
Family: Salvadoraceae
Habit: Shrub
Habitat: Scrub and the foothills of the deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and also homesteads
Habitat type: Forest, Scrub
Native to: India
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Arabia through Africa, Madagascar, Philippines
Found in India: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala
Flowering & fruiting: February-September
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Local Names

Hindi: Kanta-gur-kamai, Kantagur-kamai
Bengali: ত্রিকাংটা জাতি Trikanta-jati
Tamil: Sugam Cheddi, Sangilai, Sung-elley, முட்சங்கன்
Kannada: ಗಂಜಿ ಮುಳ್ಳು Ganji Mullu, ಬಿಳಿ ಉಪ್ಪಿ ಗಿಡ Bili Uppi Gida, ಉಪ್ಪುಗೋಜೆ Uppu Goje
Malayalam: Yeshenku, Sankukuppi, Essanku
Marathi: सुक्का पाठा Sukkaa paatha, Sukkapat

About Kanta-Gur-Kamai

Mistletoe (Azima tetracantha) belongs to the Salvadoraceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and 1 other states. It grows in scrub and the foothills of the deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and also homesteads. Flowering and fruiting run from February to September.