False Columba
Coscinium fenestratum
Also known as Tree Turmeric
- Habit
- Liana
- Native to
- India
- Flowering
- August-October
How to identify False Columba
Identify False Columba by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a liana habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Yellow wood, latticed woody stem (tree turmeric).
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate (egg-shaped, broad at base).
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm fruit type: Drupe.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-October.
- Confirm it sits within the Menispermaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is False Columba.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Coscinium fenestratum
- Genus
- Coscinium
- Family
- Menispermaceae
- Habit
- Liana
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-October
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Ovate (egg-shaped, broad at base)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for False Columba itself; the rest are typical of the Menispermaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The fruits consists of one or two drupes up to 2 cm (0.8 in) across.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
Characters marked “recorded” are for False Columba itself; the rest are typical of the Menispermaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Kannada
- ಬಳ್ಳಿ ಅರಿಶಿನ
- Malayalam
- മരമഞ്ഞൾ, Coscinium Fenestratum
- Sinhala
- වෙනිවැල්
About False Columba
False Columba (Coscinium fenestratum) is a woody climber in the Menispermaceae family. It is native to India. It grows in semi-evergreen and Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from August to October.
Uses
Locally it is long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Menispermaceae
Moonseed Family
False Columba belongs to the Menispermaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Menispermaceae 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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