Kala Bachnag / Bridal Couch Tree
Hymenodictyon orixense
Also known as Kuthan
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- August-January
How to identify Kala Bachnag
Identify Kala Bachnag 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.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kala Bachnag.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Hymenodictyon orixense
- Genus
- Hymenodictyon
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Myanmar, China, Malaysia, Nepal, Java, Africa
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Bachnag itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Bachnag itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काला बचनाग kala bachnag, भुरकुर bhurkur
- Nepali
- लति कर्मा lati karma
- Bengali
- latikarum
- Tamil
- வெள்ளைக்கடம்பு vellai-k-katampu
- Telugu
- బందారుచెట్టు bandaaru-chettu
- Kannada
- ಬಿಂದಾರೆ, ಬಿಂದರೆ Bindare, ಬಿಂದಾರಿ Bindari
- Malayalam
- ചക്കതേക്ക് cakkatheekk, ഇത്തിള് iththil, പെരുന്തൊലി peruntholi
- Marathi
- भोरसाल or भोरसाळ bhorsal, भौरसाळ bhoursal, भ्रमरसाळी bhramarsali
About Kala Bachnag
A member of the Rubiaceae family, Bridal Couch Tree (Hymenodictyon orixense) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and 9 other states. It grows in dry deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from August to January.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Kala Bachnag belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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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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