Arrucancali / Alpine Almond
Hydnocarpus alpina
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
- Flowering
- February-April
How to identify Arrucancali
Identify Arrucancali 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: Seed oil historically used to treat leprosy.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.
- Confirm it sits within the Flacourtiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Arrucancali.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hydnocarpus alpina
- Genus
- Hydnocarpus
- Family
- Flacourtiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-April
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (VU)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Arrucancali itself; the rest are typical of the Flacourtiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Typical of the Flacourtiaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Arrucancali, Attuchankali, Koranguthalai, Malaivatti
- Kannada
- ಸಣ್ಣಸೊಳ್ತಿ Sannasolti, ತೊರತಿ Torathi, ಮರತುತ್ತಿ Maratutti, Sanusotti
- Malayalam
- Attuchankala, Malmurutti, Malamaravetti, Kattumarotti
About Arrucancali
Alpine Almond (Hydnocarpus alpina) is a tree in the Flacourtiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It grows in evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from February to April.
Flacourtiaceae
Flacourtia Family
Arrucancali belongs to the Flacourtiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Flacourtiaceae 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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