Assathi / False Ashoka
Monoon longifolium
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
How to identify Assathi
Identify Assathi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Tall narrow columnar shape with drooping wavy-margined leaves (mast tree/false ashoka).
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Undulate.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Annonaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Assathi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Monoon longifolium
- Genus
- Monoon
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Haryana, Mizoram, Punjab, Chandigarh, Goa, Meghalaya
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“It exhibits symmetrical pyramidal growth with willowy weeping pendulous branches and long narrow lanceolate leaves with undulate margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- UndulaterecordedA wavy, rippled edge.“It exhibits symmetrical pyramidal growth with willowy weeping pendulous branches and long narrow lanceolate leaves with undulate margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Assathi itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish“== Flowering == In spring, the tree is covered with delicate star-like pale green flowers.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Assathi itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Assathi, Mara-iluppai, Marai-illipa
- Marathi
- आसूपालव / खोटा अशोक
- Gujarati
- આસોપાલવ
- Sinhala
- Devadara, I-petta, O-lila, O-wila
About Assathi
False ashoka (Monoon longifolium) belongs to the Annonaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and 21 other states.
Uses
It is planted as an ornamental.
Annonaceae
Custard apple family
Assathi belongs to the Annonaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Annonaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Assathi 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