Maagali Beru / Swallow-Root
Decalepis hamiltonii
- Habit
- Liana
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- May-December
How to identify Maagali Beru
Identify Maagali Beru 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: Aromatic edible roots (swallow-root).
- Confirm leaf shape: Broad oval.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow-green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Maagali Beru.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Decalepis hamiltonii
- Genus
- Decalepis
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Liana
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Broad ovalrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Maagali Beru itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellow-greenrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Maagali Beru itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Peru Nannari, Mahaali Kizhanku, Mavillinga Kizhanku
- Kannada
- ಮಾಗಳಿ (ಬೇರು) Maagali beru, ಮಾಕಳಿ (ಬೇರು) maakali beru, Maakali beru
- Malayalam
- Mahannikizhangu, Nannari, Mahalikizhangu
About Maagali Beru
Swallow-Root (Decalepis hamiltonii) belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family, where it grows as a woody climber. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. It grows in dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles. Flowering and fruiting run from May to December.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Maagali Beru belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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