Malaipuvarasu / Poplar Sterculia
Hildegardia populifolia
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering
- April-February
How to identify Malaipuvarasu
Identify Malaipuvarasu 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: Poplar-shaped leaves.
- Confirm leaf shape: Orbicular (round).
- Confirm flower colour: Red/scarlet.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal.
- Confirm it sits within the Sterculiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Malaipuvarasu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hildegardia populifolia
- Genus
- Hildegardia
- Family
- Sterculiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Rocky terrains in deciduous forests
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-February
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (CR)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Orbicular (round)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Malaipuvarasu itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Red/scarletrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Malaipuvarasu itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Malaipuvarasu
About Malaipuvarasu
Poplar Sterculia (Hildegardia populifolia) belongs to the Sterculiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. It grows in rocky terrains in deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from April to February.
Sterculiaceae
Cacao/Cola family
Malaipuvarasu belongs to the Sterculiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sterculiaceae 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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