Shivalingi / Lollipop Climber
Diplocyclos palmatus
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- August-January
How to identify Shivalingi
Identify Shivalingi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf margin: Palmately-lobed.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Cucurbitaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Shivalingi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Diplocyclos palmatus
- Genus
- Diplocyclos
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, also roadsides
- Distribution
- India, Africa, Sri Lanka, sub-tropical Himalayas, China, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Myanmar, Philippines, Java
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- Palmately-lobedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Shivalingi itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Shivalingi itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- शिवलिंगी shivalingi, शिवलिंगी [shivalingi]
- Nepali
- सावा sava, शिवलिंगी shivalingi, सावा [sava]
- Tamil
- ஐவிரலி aivirali, ஐவிரலி [aivirali], ஐவிரல் கோவை
- Telugu
- లింగ దొండ lingadonda, లింగ దొండ [lingadonda]
- Kannada
- ಲಿಂಗತೊಂಡೆ ಬಳ್ಳಿ lingatonde balli, ಶಿವಲಿಂಗಿ shivalingi, ಮಹಾಲಿಂಗ [Ma-Haa-lin-gaa], ಲಿಂಗತೊಂಡೆ ಬಳ್ಳಿ [linga-tonde balli]
- Malayalam
- ഐവിരലിക്കോവ aiviralikkova, കരിങ്കായി karinkaayi, നെയ്യുണ്ണി neyyunni, ഐവിരലിക്കോവ
- Marathi
- महादेवी mahadevi, शिवलिंगी shivalingi, महादेवी [maha-devi], शिवलिंगी
- Sanskrit
- आपस्तम्भिनी [apashtambhini], चित्रफला [chitraphala], लिङ्गजा [lingaja], लिङ्गिनी [lingini]
- Gujarati
- શિવલિંગી [shivalingi]
About Shivalingi
Lollipop Climber (Diplocyclos palmatus) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and 19 other states. It grows in deciduous forests, also roadsides. Flowering and fruiting run from August to January.
Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
Shivalingi belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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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