Dekamali / Brilliant Gardenia
Gardenia resinifera
Also known as Gummy Gardenia, White Emetic Nut
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- April-July
How to identify Dekamali
Identify Dekamali 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.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-July.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Dekamali.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Gardenia resinifera
- Genus
- Gardenia
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-July
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dekamali itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Dekamali itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- देकामाली dekamali
- Tamil
- கம்பளிப்பிசின் kampali-p-picin, கும்பை kumpai, கும்பிலி kumpili
- Telugu
- కొండ మంగ konda manga
- Kannada
- ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ ಗಿಡ bikki gida, ಡಿಕ್ಕಾಮಲ್ಲಿ, ದಿಕ್ಕಾಮಲ್ಲಿ dikkaamalli
- Malayalam
- കബിമരം kabimaram
- Marathi
- डिकामाली dikamali, डिकेमाली dikemali
About Dekamali
A member of the Rubiaceae family, Brilliant Gardenia (Gardenia resinifera) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and 6 other states. It grows in dry deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from April to July.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Dekamali belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rubiaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides