Jati-Phal / Nutmeg Tree
Myristica fragrans
Also known as Mace Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa & more
- Flowering
- December-August
How to identify Jati-Phal
Identify Jati-Phal 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: Cultivated for nutmeg and mace spice.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-August.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Myristicaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Jati-Phal.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Myristica fragrans
- Genus
- Myristica
- Family
- Myristicaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Indonesia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-August
- Conservation status
- Data Deficient (DD)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Myristicaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded“The flowers are bell-shaped, pale yellow and somewhat waxy and fleshy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Jati-Phal itself; the rest are typical of the Myristicaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- जातीफल jati-phal, जायफल jayaphal, jaiphal
- Nepali
- जाइफल jaiphal
- Bengali
- জাতিফল jatiphala, জায়ফল jayaphala, জয়ত্রি
- Tamil
- சாதிக்காய் cati-k-kay
- Telugu
- జాజికాయ jajikaya
- Kannada
- ಜಾಕಾಯಿ jakayi, ಜಾತೀಫಲ jatiphala, ಮೈರಿಸ್ಟಿಕಾ ಫ್ರಾಗ್ರನ್ಸ್
- Malayalam
- ജാതി jathi, ജാതിക്കാ jathikka, ജാതി (മരം)
- Marathi
- जातीफल jatiphala, जायफळ jayaphala
- Sinhala
- සාදික්කා
About Jati-Phal
A member of the Myristicaceae family, Nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and 2 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from December to August.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten and distilled for an aromatic oil.
Myristicaceae
Nutmeg family
Jati-Phal belongs to the Myristicaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Myristicaceae 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.
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