Mahjaree / Chinese Fairy Bells
Disporum cantoniense
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Assam & more
- Flowering
- June-December
How to identify Mahjaree
Identify Mahjaree by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Bell-shaped nodding flowers (fairy bells).
- Confirm leaf shape: Broad lance-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Liliaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Mahjaree.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Disporum cantoniense
- Genus
- Disporum
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests, Shola forests and grasslands
- Distribution
- India, SE. Asia, Southern China, Japan, Malesia
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Broad lance-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mahjaree itself; the rest are typical of the Liliaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mahjaree itself; the rest are typical of the Liliaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Nepali
- महजरी Mahjaree, सानो कुकुर डाइनु Saano Kukur Daainu
About Mahjaree
Chinese Fairy Bells (Disporum cantoniense) is a herb in the Liliaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Assam and 5 other states. It grows in evergreen forests, Shola forests and grasslands. Flowering and fruiting run from June to December.
Liliaceae
Lily Family
Mahjaree belongs to the Liliaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Liliaceae 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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