Seema Buruga / Sand-Box Tree
Hura crepitans
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
How to identify Seema Buruga
Identify Seema Buruga 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: Trunk covered in sharp spines, explosive seed pods (sandbox tree).
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed (serrate/dentate edge).
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hura crepitans
- Genus
- Hura
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Plains
- Habitat type
- Plains
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“its large ovate leaves grow to 60 cm (2 ft) long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Seema Buruga itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit are large, pumpkin-shaped capsules, 3–5 cm (1–2 in) long, 5–8 cm (2–3 in) diameter, with 16 carpels arranged radially.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Seema Buruga itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Kaatu-amanku, Mulla-rasanam
- Telugu
- Seema buruga
- Kannada
- ರೇತಿದಾನಿ Retidaani, Retidani
- Malayalam
- ഹുറ ക്രെപിറ്റൻസ്
About Seema Buruga
A member of the Euphorbiaceae family, Sand-Box Tree (Hura crepitans) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. It grows in plains.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Seema Buruga belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Euphorbiaceae 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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