Lajalu / Tropical Little Tree Plant
Biophytum candolleanum
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- February-September
How to identify Lajalu
Identify Lajalu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Small palm-like herb with sensitive leaflets.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-September.
- In India, compare location records such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Oxalidaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Lajalu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Biophytum candolleanum
- Genus
- Biophytum
- Family
- Oxalidaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Open and moist situations, dry deciduous forests and grasslands
- Native to
- India, Sri Lanka
- Distribution
- Indomalyan tropics, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Lajalu itself; the rest are typical of the Oxalidaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit
- Berry
Typical of the Oxalidaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Bengali
- ঝলৈ Jhalai
- Hindi
- लजालू Lajalu
- Kannada
- ಹೊರಮುನಿ Horamuni, ಹೊರಮುಚಕ Horamuchaka, ಹೊರಮುಚ್ಚುಗ Horamucchuga, ಜಲಪುಷ್ಪಕ Jalapushpaka
- Malayalam
- മുക്കുട്ടീ Mukkutti
- Marathi
- झरेरा Jharera, लाजवंती Lajvanti
- Nepali
- लजिया झ्याङं Lajaiya jhyang
- Tamil
- Tintanali
- Telugu
- Pulicenta
About Lajalu
Tropical Little Tree Plant (Biophytum candolleanum) is a herb in the Oxalidaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It grows in open and moist situations, dry deciduous forests and grasslands. Flowering and fruiting run from February to September.
Oxalidaceae
Wood sorrel family
Lajalu belongs to the Oxalidaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Oxalidaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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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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