Akas Bel / Laurel Dodder
Cassytha filiformis
- Habit
- Parasite
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- May-December
How to identify Akas Bel
Identify Akas Bel by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a parasite habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Leafless orange thread-like parasitic vine wrapping over host plants (laurel dodder).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Lauraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Akas Bel.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cassytha filiformis
- Genus
- Cassytha
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Habit
- Parasite
- Habitat
- On bushes and small trees, margins of deciduous and scrub forests, also in agricultural fields
- Distribution
- Pantropical
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, Goa, Odisha, Puducherry, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Lauraceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Typical of the Lauraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- आकास बेल akas bel
- Bengali
- সীতার চুল
- Tamil
- எருமைக்கொற்றான் erumai-k-korran, தூற்றுமைக்கொற்றான் turrumai-k-korran, பசுங்கொற்றான் pacu-n-korran
- Telugu
- ఆకాశవల్లి akasa-valli, ఆకాశవల్లి
- Kannada
- ಆಕಾಶ ಬಳ್ಳೀ aakaasha balli, ಅಮರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ amara balli, ಬೀಳು ಬಳ್ಳಿ bilu balli
- Marathi
- अमरवेल amarvel, अंबरवेल ambarvel
About Akas Bel
Laurel dodder (Cassytha filiformis) belongs to the Lauraceae family, where it grows as a parasitic plant. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and 10 other states. It grows in on bushes and small trees, margins of deciduous and scrub forests, also in agricultural fields. Flowering and fruiting run from May to December.
Lauraceae
Laurel/Cinnamon family
Akas Bel belongs to the Lauraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Lauraceae 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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