Anantamul / Indian Sarasaparilla
Hemidesmus indicus var. indicus
Also known as False Sarsaparilla, Country Sarasaparilla
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana & more
- Flowering
- September-June
How to identify Anantamul
Identify Anantamul by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Reddish stems, aromatic roots used as sarsaparilla substitute.
- Confirm leaf shape: Narrow lance/sword-shaped.
- Confirm flower colour: Maroon/dark purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: September-June.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asclepiadaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Anantamul.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hemidesmus indicus var. indicus
- Genus
- Hemidesmus
- Family
- Asclepiadaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests and scrub jungles, also in the plains
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Narrow lance/sword-shapedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Anantamul itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Maroon/dark purplerecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Follicle
Characters marked “recorded” are for Anantamul itself; the rest are typical of the Asclepiadaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- अनंतमूल Anantamul, दूधली Dudhli
- Tamil
- Nannari, Sugandipala
- Telugu
- Suganda pala
- Kannada
- ಸುಗಂಧ ಹಾಲಿನ ಗಿಡ Sugandha haalina gida, ಸೊಗದೆ Sogade, ನನ್ನಾರಿ Nannaari ಸುಗಂಧಿ Sugandhi
- Malayalam
- Narunenti
- Marathi
- अनंतवेल Anant vel
About Anantamul
Indian Sarasaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus var. indicus) is a climber in the Asclepiadaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and 13 other states. It grows in deciduous forests and scrub jungles, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from September to June.
Asclepiadaceae
Milkweed Family
Anantamul belongs to the Asclepiadaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asclepiadaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Anantamul or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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