Putijia / Indian Amulet Tree
Drypetes roxburghii
Also known as Putranjiva, Officinal Drypetes
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands & more
- Flowering
- March-April; May onwards
How to identify Putijia
Identify Putijia 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: Seeds strung as prayer beads (putranjiva).
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed (serrate/dentate edge).
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-April; May onwards.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Drypetes roxburghii
- Genus
- Drypetes
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests and sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Indo-China, Java, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Islands, East New Guinea
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-April; May onwards
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Putijia itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Putijia itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Putijia
- Marathi
- Jivanputra, Patravanti
- Tamil
- Irukolli, Karupala
- Malayalam
- Pongalam
- Telugu
- Kuduru, Putrajivika
- Kannada
- Amani Putrajiva
- Bengali
- Putranjiva, Jioysuta
- Odia
- Poilundia
- Konkani
- Saman
- Urdu
- Paishandia
- Gujarati
- Putranjiva
- Sanskrit
- Putrajivah
About Putijia
Indian Amulet Tree (Drypetes roxburghii) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 4 other states. It grows in deciduous forests and sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from March to April; May onwards.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Putijia belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Euphorbiaceae 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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