Hulhul / Wild-Dog Mustard
Cleome viscosa
Also known as Sticky Cleome
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cleome viscosa
- Genus
- Cleome
- Family
- Capparaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Native to
- Old World from tropical Africa, S. Arabia to Tropical Australia; Malaysia
- Distribution
- Cosmopolitan
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Hulhul.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Capparaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- हुलहुल Hulhul, बगरो Bagro
- Nepali
- हुर हुरे Hur Hure, बन तोरी Ban Toree, तोरी झार Toree Jhaar
- Bengali
- হলুদ হুড়হুড়ে
- Tamil
- Naikkaduku, நாய்வேளை
- Telugu
- Kukkavaminta
- Kannada
- Gandunaa balli, Nayibela
- Malayalam
- Naivela, അരിവാള
- Marathi
- पिवला तिळवण Pivala tilavan, पिवला तिळवण
- Gujarati
- પીળી તલવણી
Hulhul in India
Hurhur is a sticky, strong-smelling yellow-flowered weed of the monsoon — हुलहुल Hulhul (Hindi), Naikkaduku (Tamil), Kukkavaminta (Telugu), Gandunaa balli (Kannada), Naivela (Malayalam), पिवला तिळवण Pivala tilavan (Marathi). Cleome viscosa is recorded across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, on fields, roadsides and waste ground.
Uses
Its pungent seeds are used like a mustard substitute in tempering and pickling in some regions, and the young leaves are occasionally eaten; the plant has attributed uses in folk medicine. It is mostly a common weed of cultivated land.
How to Identify Hulhul
An erect, glandular-hairy, sticky herb that smells strongly when handled, with leaves divided palmately into several leaflets like fingers. It bears yellow four-petalled flowers and long, slender, upright ribbed seed-pods held close to the stem.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Wild-dog Mustard called in different Indian languages?
- हुलहुल Hulhul (Hindi); Naikkaduku (Tamil); Kukkavaminta (Telugu); Gandunaa balli (Kannada); Naivela (Malayalam); पिवला तिळवण Pivala tilavan (Marathi); হলুদ হুড়হুড়ে (Bengali); પીળી તલવણી (Gujarati).
- What are hurhur seeds used for?
- The pungent seeds are used in some regions like a mustard substitute in tempering and pickles, and the plant has attributed folk-medicinal uses.
- How do you identify Cleome viscosa?
- Look for a sticky, strong-smelling herb with finger-like divided leaves, yellow four-petalled flowers and long upright slender pods.
Capparaceae
Caper Family
Hulhul belongs to the Capparaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Capparaceae
View all Capparaceae →Sources: GBIF — Cleome viscosa (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Cleome viscosa (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Cleome viscosa (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)