Katkuda / Black Ixora
Ixora nigricans
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- December-May
How to identify Katkuda
Identify Katkuda by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Flowers/fruit turning blackish with age.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Katkuda.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Ixora nigricans
- Genus
- Ixora
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Indo-Malayan region
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Katkuda itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Katkuda itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Kannada
- ಅಡಯಾಲ Adayala, ಕೆವಲ, ಕೇವಲ Kevala
- Malayalam
- Cherukuravu, ചെറുകുറവ്
- Marathi
- काटकुडा Katkuda, काटकुडा
About Katkuda
Black Ixora (Ixora nigricans) is a shrub in the Rubiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 5 other states. It grows in evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from December to May.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Katkuda belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rubiaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides