Karai / Wild Olive Tree
Elaeocarpus serratus
Also known as Ceylon Olive
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- June-March
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Elaeocarpus serratus
- Genus
- Elaeocarpus
- Family
- Elaeocarpaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plain
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Tropical Himalayas, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Mizoram, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karai itself; the rest are typical of the Elaeocarpaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Fruit
- Drupe
Typical of the Elaeocarpaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Karai, Karamaram, Olan karai
- Telugu
- Athakunge, Beegada mara, Beejada mara
- Kannada
- ಅಥಕುಂಗೆ Athakunge, ಕ್ಯಾಸತ್ತೆ Kyaasatte
- Malayalam
- Avi, Avil, Karamavu, Kara
About Karai
Wild olive tree (Elaeocarpus serratus) is a tree in the Elaeocarpaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and 7 other states. It grows in evergreen and Semi-Evergreen forests, also in the plain. Flowering and fruiting run from June to March.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and planted as an ornamental. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
In culture
It is treated as sacred and appears in worship.
Elaeocarpaceae
Olivnut Family
Karai belongs to the Elaeocarpaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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