Kamala / Kamala Tree
Mallotus philippensis
Also known as Monkey Face Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- June-March
How to identify Kamala
Identify Kamala 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: Fruit coated in red-orange powder used as a dye (kamala).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Mallotus philippensis
- Genus
- Mallotus
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Mixed forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Western Himalayas, Formosa, Malesia, Australia, Melanesia
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Haryana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“Leaves are opposite on the stem, ovate to oblong in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“Leaves are opposite on the stem, ovate to oblong in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- Entire (smooth edge)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kamala itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kamala itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कामला kamala, रैनी raini, रोहन rohan, kamala
- Nepali
- सिन्दूरे Sindoore, रोहिणी Rohinee, सिन्धुरे
- Bengali
- কমলা kamala
- Tamil
- கபிலப்பொடி kapila poti, குரங்குமஞ்சணாறி kuranku-mañcanari
- Telugu
- కుంకుమ చెట్టు kunkuma-chettu
- Kannada
- ಕುಂಕುಮದಮರ Kunkumada mara, ಕಪಿಲಾರಂಗು Kapilaarangu, ಹುಲಿಚೆಂಡು Hulichendu
- Malayalam
- ചെങ്കൊല്ലി cenkolli, കുങ്കുമപ്പൂമരം kunkumappuumaram, കുരങ്ങുമഞ്ഞശ് kurangumanjas, കുങ്കുമപ്പൂമരം
- Marathi
- केशरी kesari, शेंदरी shendri, कपिला
About Kamala
Kamala Tree (Mallotus philippensis) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 24 other states. It grows in mixed forests. Flowering and fruiting run from June to March.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine and a source of dye or tannin. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Kamala belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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