Kaim / True Kadamb
Mitragyna parvifolia
Also known as Corn Snapdragon Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- March-December
How to identify Kaim
Identify Kaim 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 arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf shape: Orbicular.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kaim.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Mitragyna parvifolia
- Genus
- Mitragyna
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous and deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“Leaves are a dark green in color, smooth, rounded in shape, and opposite in growth pattern.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OrbicularrecordedRounded, roughly circular.“Leaves are a dark green in color, smooth, rounded in shape, and opposite in growth pattern.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“Leaves are a dark green in color, smooth, rounded in shape, and opposite in growth pattern.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kaim itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kaim itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- गुरी guri, कैम Kaim
- Nepali
- कैम Kaim, फल्दु Phaldu, सानो हलेदो Saano Haledo
- Bengali
- ধারাকদম্ব Dharakadam, গুলিকদম্ব Gulikadam, কেলি কদম
- Tamil
- நிசுளம் Nichulam, நீர்க்கடம்பு Nirkkatampu, நீர்க்கடம்ப மரம்
- Kannada
- ನೀರ ಕದಮ್ಬ Nira kadamba, ಸಣ್ಣ ಕದಮ್ಬ Sanna kadamba, ನೀರ ಕದಂಬ
- Malayalam
- കതമമരം Kathamamaram, നീര്ക്കടമ്പ് Neerakkadamp, പൂച്ചക്കടമ്പ് Puuccakkatamp
- Marathi
- कळम Kalam, कळम
- Gujarati
- કલમ
About Kaim
True Kadamb (Mitragyna parvifolia) belongs to the Rubiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and 19 other states. It grows in moist deciduous and deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from March to December.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Kaim 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