Kala Daamar / Black Dammar Tree
Canarium strictum
Also known as Black Dhup, Indian White Mahogany
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- March-August
How to identify Kala Daamar
Identify Kala Daamar 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: Bark yields black dammar resin used as incense.
- Confirm leaf type: Bipinnately compound.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-August.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Burseraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kala Daamar.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Canarium strictum
- Genus
- Canarium
- Family
- Burseraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-August
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Bipinnately compoundrecordedThe leaf is divided twice — each 'leaflet' is itself a row of smaller leaflets, giving a fine, fern-like look.“The leaves of this large canopy tree are bipinnate.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Daamar itself; the rest are typical of the Burseraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit
- Drupe
Typical of the Burseraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काला डामर Kala Daamar
- Bengali
- ধুনা Dhuna
- Tamil
- கருங்குங்கிலியம் Karu-N-Kunkiliyam, Karunkungiliyam
- Telugu
- రోజముచెట్టు Rojamu-Chettu
- Kannada
- ಹಾಲುಮಡ್ಡಿ Halumaddi, ಕರೀ ಧೂಪ Kari Dhupa, ರಾಳ ಧೂಪ Raala Dhupa
- Malayalam
- തെള്ളിപ്പയിന് Thellippayin, പന്തം Pantham, Kunthirikkam
- Marathi
- डामर Daamar, राळ Raal, राळ
About Kala Daamar
A member of the Burseraceae family, Black Dammar Tree (Canarium strictum) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and 4 other states. It grows in moist Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from March to August.
Burseraceae
Bursera Family
Kala Daamar belongs to the Burseraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Burseraceae 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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