Pannittalai / Leather-Leaf Litsea
Litsea coriacea
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering
- October-January
How to identify Pannittalai
Identify Pannittalai 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: Thick leathery (coriaceous) leaves.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala.
- Confirm it sits within the Lauraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Pannittalai.
Plant Details
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Pannittalai itself; the rest are typical of the Lauraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Typical of the Lauraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Tamil
- பன்னித்தழை pannittalai, Pannithalai
- Kannada
- ಎರ್ಚಿಕೂಟಿ erchikooti, ಮುಜ muja, Erchikooti, Muja
- Malayalam
- മരവെട്ടിത്താളി maravettithaali, പന്നിത്താളി pannithaali, വെട്ടിത്താളി vettithaali, വെട്ടിത്താളി
About Pannittalai
Leather-Leaf Litsea (Litsea coriacea) belongs to the Lauraceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It grows in semi-Evergreen forests and sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from October to January.
Lauraceae
Laurel/Cinnamon family
Pannittalai belongs to the Lauraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Lauraceae 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