Karkar / Spinous Cape Jasmine
Gardenia turgida
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
- Flowering
- November-June
How to identify Karkar
Identify Karkar 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: Spiny branches.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-June.
- In India, compare location records such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karkar.
Plant Details
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Karkar 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 Karkar itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Karkar, Malankara, Vellakara
About Karkar
Spinous Cape Jasmine (Gardenia turgida) belongs to the Rubiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It grows in moist deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from November to June.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Karkar 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.
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