Safed-Musli / Edible Chlorophytum
Chlorophytum tuberosum
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- May-December
How to identify Safed-Musli
Identify Safed-Musli 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: Edible tuberous roots.
- Confirm leaf shape: Strap-like/grass-like.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Liliaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Safed-Musli.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Chlorophytum tuberosum
- Genus
- Chlorophytum
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- In open forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Tropical Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
- Distribution
- India, Myanmar, Abyssinia, Sri Lanka, Nepal
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-December
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Strap-like/grass-likerecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Safed-Musli itself; the rest are typical of the Liliaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Safed-Musli itself; the rest are typical of the Liliaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- सफ़ेद मुसली Safed-musli, Musli, Safed Musli
- Nepali
- सेतो मुस्ली Seto Muslee
- Tamil
- Tiravanticham, காப்பாளை
- Kannada
- Dravanti
- Malayalam
- Veluttanilappana, വെള്ള മുസ്ലി
- Marathi
- कुली Kuli, कुली, मुसळीकंद
About Safed-Musli
A member of the Liliaceae family, Edible Chlorophytum (Chlorophytum tuberosum) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and 4 other states. It grows in in open forests. Flowering and fruiting run from May to December.
Liliaceae
Lily Family
Safed-Musli belongs to the Liliaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Liliaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides