Ramtil / Niger Plant
Guizotia abyssinica
Also known as Niger Seed Plant
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- August-January
How to identify Ramtil
Identify Ramtil by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated for edible niger seed oil.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- Confirm fruit type: Achene.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Guizotia abyssinica
- Genus
- Guizotia
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Distribution
- Ethiopia to Malawi and India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ramtil itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
- Fruit type
- AchenerecordedA small, dry, single-seeded fruit that does not split open.“The seed, technically a fruit called an achene, is often sold as birdseed as it is a favourite of finches, especially the goldfinch and the greenfinch (Chloris).” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ramtil itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- रामतिल Ramtil, काला तिल Kalatil, Surguja
- Bengali
- Sorguja
- Tamil
- payellu, uchellu, kattel, காட்டெள்ளு
- Telugu
- valesulu, vulisi, adavinvvulu
- Kannada
- ಹುಚ್ಚೆಳ್ಳು Huchchellu, ಗುರೆಳ್ಳು Gurellu ಕಾರೆಳ್ಳು Kaarellu, ಕುರಾಸಾಣಿ Kuraasaani
- Marathi
- Karal, कालीतिल Kalitil, रानतीळ Rantil
About Ramtil
A member of the Asteraceae family, Niger plant (Guizotia abyssinica) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and 3 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from August to January.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Ramtil belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asteraceae 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