Karmal / Dog Teak
Dillenia pentagyna
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- February-June
How to identify Karmal
Identify Karmal by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Five-celled fruit.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-June.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Dilleniaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karmal.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Dillenia pentagyna
- Genus
- Dillenia
- Family
- Dilleniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (India), Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Java, Celebes Island, Lesser Sunda Islands
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Gujarat
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- करमल Karmal
- Bengali
- বন চালতা Ban chalta, বন চালতা
- Tamil
- நாய்த்தேக்கு Nay-t-tekku, புன்னை வகை Punnai vakai, பஞ்சகன்னி உவா
- Telugu
- చిన్న కళింగ, రేవడ
- Kannada
- ಕಾಡುಕಣಿಗಲು Kaadu kanigalu, ಕೋಲ್ತೇಗ Koltega, ಮದತೇಗ Madatega
- Malayalam
- കുടപ്പുന്ന Kutapunna, പട്ടിപ്പുന്ന Pattippunna, വാഴപ്പുന്ന Vaazhappunna
- Marathi
- पिवळा करमळ Piwala karmal, पिवळा करमळ
About Karmal
A member of the Dilleniaceae family, Dog Teak (Dillenia pentagyna) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and 13 other states. It grows in moist deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from February to June.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Dilleniaceae
Dillenia Family
Karmal belongs to the Dilleniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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