SASYA
Simple leaf
As recorded for Bhesa indica
✿Celastraceae · Bhesa

Bhesa indica

Bhesa indica പെനലി

Malayalam name · See all regional names ↓

Habit
Tree
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Flowering
March-April
One plant. Many familiar names.

Bhesa indica in regional languages

Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.

Recorded regional names for Bhesa indica
LanguageRegional scriptRecorded Latin spelling
MalayalamപെനലിNot recorded
See the original recorded names
Malayalam
പെനലി

Ecology & growing context

Native status · Kew WCVP
WCVP native range includes India Kew dataset ↗︎

Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: SW. India, Indo-China to Pen. Malaysia.

Recorded habitat
Evergreen forests
Explore nearby plants
Tamil Nadu →Kerala →

Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.

How to identify Bhesa indica

Identify Bhesa indica 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.
  • Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
  • Confirm leaf type: Simple.
  • Confirm flower colour: White.
  • Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
  • In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-April.
  • In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala.

Plant Details

Scientific name
Bhesa indica
Genus
Bhesa
Habit
Tree
Habitat
Evergreen forests
Habitat type
Forest
Distribution
Indo-Malesia
Found in India
Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Flowering & fruiting
March-April
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Alternate leaf arrangement
Leaf arrangement
AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The leaves are simple, alternate and clustered at twig ends, with large stipules up to 2.5 cm long that are caducous (lost through dehiscence).” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Simple leaf type
Leaf type
SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“The leaves are simple, alternate and clustered at twig ends, with large stipules up to 2.5 cm long that are caducous (lost through dehiscence).” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ovate leaf shape
Leaf shape
OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The petiole is 2.5 cm to 4.5 cm long, swollen at the base and tip and attached to a leaf that is 10–18 cm long and 4.5-8.5 cm wide, elliptic-oblong to narrow-ovate in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf surface
GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“The leaves are leathery, shining above and below, darker green above and paler below, and hairless.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Toothed margin leaf character
Margin
Toothed
Pinnate venation leaf character
Venation
Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhesa indica itself; the rest are typical of the Celastraceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour
Whiterecorded“The flowers are small and white.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Panicle flower arrangement
Flower arrangement
PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“The inflorescence is at the ends of branches formed as panicled racemes.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Capsule fruit type
Fruit type
CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit is a capsule, red, and prominently 2-lobed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Cyme inflorescence
Inflorescence
Cyme
Capsule fruit
Fruit
Capsule

Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhesa indica itself; the rest are typical of the Celastraceae family — flowering plants only.

About Bhesa indica

Bhesa indica belongs to the Celastraceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It grows in evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from March to April.

Illustration representing the Celastraceae family
Botanical family

Celastraceae

Staff-Tree Family

Bhesa indica belongs to the Celastraceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

Explore the Celastraceae family

Snap it. Know it.

Point your camera at Bhesa indica or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.

Download SASYA — Free

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

More in Celastraceae

View all Celastraceae