Calmogara / Fish Poison Tree
Hydnocarpus laurifolia
Also known as Marothi Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- December-April
How to identify Calmogara
Identify Calmogara 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 used as a traditional fish poison and leprosy remedy.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Flacourtiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Calmogara.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hydnocarpus laurifolia
- Genus
- Hydnocarpus
- Family
- Flacourtiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Distribution
- India
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Calmogara 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
- Hindi
- चालमोगरा Calmogara, Chalmogra, Chaulmoogra, Jangli badam
- Kannada
- ಚೌಲ್ಮೂಗ್ರ Chaulmoogra, ಎಣ್ಣೆಮರ yenne mara, Mirolhakai, ಸುರಟಿ Surti, ಸುರಂಟಿ Suranti, ತೊರತ್ತಿ Toratti
- Malayalam
- Kodi, Maravatty, Marotti, Nirvatta, Nirvetti
- Marathi
- Kadu Kawath
- Sanskrit
- Tuvaraka, Turveraka, Tuvrak, कुष्टवैरी Kushtavairi
- Tamil
- Maravetti, Maravattai, Marotti
- Telugu
- Niradi-vittulu
About Calmogara
A member of the Flacourtiaceae family, Fish poison tree (Hydnocarpus laurifolia) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Flowering and fruiting run from December to April.
Flacourtiaceae
Flacourtia Family
Calmogara 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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