Is gamhar related to teak?

No — despite the nickname 'white teak', Gmelina arborea belongs to a different family than true teak (Tectona grandis); the name refers only to its similarly pale, useful wood.

Why is it popular for plantations?

It grows fast, tolerates a range of soils, and produces useful timber relatively quickly, making it a common choice for forestry plantations.

✿Verbenaceae · Gmelina

Gamhar / White Teak

Gmelina arborea

Also known as Coomb Teak, Candahar Tree, Cashmeri Teak, Gamari, Kambari

TreeMedicinal

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan & more
Flowering: February-June

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Gamhar

Identify Gamhar 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: Timber tree (white teak / gamari).
Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
Confirm flower arrangement: Umbel.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-June.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
Confirm it sits within the Verbenaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Gamhar.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Gmelina arborea
Genus: Gmelina
Family: Verbenaceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Deciduous forests and in the plains
Habitat type: Forest
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Philippines, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China, Malesia, Indonesia, China; introduced in many parts of tropical Africa and South America
Found in India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tripura
Flowering & fruiting: February-June
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Arrangement: Opposite
Type: Simple
Margin: Toothed
Venation: Pinnate

Typical of the Verbenaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Yellowrecorded
Flower arrangement: UmbelrecordedFlower stalks all radiate from a single point, like umbrella ribs.“Umbelliferone 7-apiosylglucoside can be isolated from the root.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Cyme
Fruit: Drupe

Characters marked “recorded” are for Gamhar itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: गम्हड़ Gamhar, Gmelina arborea
Nepali: खमारी, गम्भारी
Bengali: গামারি, গামার, গাম্বার
Tamil: Kumalaamaram
Telugu: Peddagumudutekku, గుమ్మడి టేకు
Kannada: ಶಿವನಿ Shivani, ಶಿವನೆ Shivane, ಸೀವನ್ನಿ Seevanni ಕೂಲಿ Kooli
Malayalam: Kumbil, കുമ്പിൾ, കുമിഴ്
Marathi: शिवण Sivan, शिवण

Gamhar in India

This fast-growing tree, known as गम्हड़ Gamhar (Hindi), Kumalaamaram (Tamil), Peddagumudutekku (Telugu), ಶಿವನಿ Shivani (Kannada), Kumbil (Malayalam), शिवण Sivan (Marathi), is a widely planted timber species. Gmelina arborea is found across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, both in natural forest and forestry plantations.

Uses

Its light, pale, easily worked wood is used for furniture, plywood, packing cases and musical instruments — the pale colour of the wood is behind its 'white teak' nickname, though it's unrelated to true teak.

How to Identify Gamhar

A deciduous tree with large, heart-shaped leaves. Clusters of tubular, brownish-yellow flowers appear before the new leaves, followed by small, egg-shaped fruit that ripens yellow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is White Teak called in different Indian languages?: गम्हड़ Gamhar (Hindi); Kumalaamaram (Tamil); Peddagumudutekku (Telugu); ಶಿವನಿ Shivani (Kannada); Kumbil (Malayalam); शिवण Sivan (Marathi); গামারি (Bengali).
Is gamhar related to teak?: No — despite the nickname 'white teak', Gmelina arborea belongs to a different family than true teak (Tectona grandis); the name refers only to its similarly pale, useful wood.
Why is it popular for plantations?: It grows fast, tolerates a range of soils, and produces useful timber relatively quickly, making it a common choice for forestry plantations.

Botanical family

Verbenaceae

Verbena/Teak family

Gamhar belongs to the Verbenaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

Explore the Verbenaceae family

Snap it. Know it.

Point your camera at Gamhar or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.

Download SASYA — Free

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

More in Verbenaceae

View all Verbenaceae

Sources: GBIF — Gmelina arborea (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Gmelina arborea (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)