Typical of the Celastraceae family
Lophopetalum wightianum
Banati / Spindle Tree बनाती
Hindi name · See all regional names ↓
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- November-July
Banati in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | बनाती | banati, balpale |
| Nepali | बलपले | balapale |
| Tamil | காருக்கா · வெள்ள பலா · வெள்ளபோலம் | karukka, vella pala, vellapolam |
| Kannada | ಬಲ್ಪಾಲೆ · ಬೆಲ್ಪಾಲೆ · ಬನಾಟೆ | balpaale, Belpaale, banaate |
| Malayalam | വെമ്പാല · വെണ്കടവം · വെങ്കൊട്ട | vembala, venkatavam, venkotta |
| Marathi | बलफळे · बनाती | balphale, banati |
See the original recorded names
- Hindi
- बनाती banati, balpale, banati
- Nepali
- बलपले balapale
- Tamil
- காருக்கா karukka, வெள்ள பலா vella pala, வெள்ளபோலம் vellapolam
- Kannada
- ಬಲ್ಪಾಲೆ balpaale, ಬೆಲ್ಪಾಲೆ Belpaale, ಬನಾಟೆ banaate
- Malayalam
- വെമ്പാല vembala, വെണ്കടവം venkatavam, വെങ്കൊട്ട venkotta
- Marathi
- बलफळे balphale, बनाती banati
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP native range includes Assam, India Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Indian Subcontinent to W. Malesia.
- Recorded habitat
- Evergreen forests and sacred groves
- Explore nearby plants
- Karnataka →Kerala →Tamil Nadu →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Banati
Identify Banati 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: Timber tree with winged seeds.
- Confirm leaf shape: Glossy oval.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-July.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Celastraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Banati.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Lophopetalum wightianum
- Genus
- Lophopetalum
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests and sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Indo-Malayan
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-July
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Glossy ovalrecorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Banati itself; the rest are typical of the Celastraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
Typical of the Celastraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
About Banati
Spindle Tree (Lophopetalum wightianum) is a tree in the Celastraceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and 4 other states. It grows in evergreen forests and sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from November to July.
Celastraceae
Staff-Tree Family
Banati belongs to the Celastraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Celastraceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Banati or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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