Harfarauri / Star Gooseberry
Phyllanthus acidus
Also known as Grosella
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Harfarauri
Identify Harfarauri 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: Clusters of sour edible fruit along branches (star gooseberry).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus acidus
- Genus
- Phyllanthus
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Brazil
- Distribution
- Tropics
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Telangana, Assam, Gujarat, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Nagaland
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The branchlets bear alternate leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in form, with short petioles and pointed ends.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“The branchlets bear alternate leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in form, with short petioles and pointed ends.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- Entire (smooth edge)recorded
- Leaf surface
- GlabrousrecordedSmooth, hairless.“The leaves are 2–7.5 cm long and thin, they are green and smooth on the upperside and blue-green on the underside.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Harfarauri itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“They are small and pinkish and appear in clusters in 5-to-12.5-cm long panicles.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Harfarauri itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- हरफ़रौरी Harfarauri
- Nepali
- काँसी अमला
- Bengali
- অরবরই, অরবড়ই, অরবরি
- Tamil
- Aranelli, அருநெல்லி
- Telugu
- రాచ ఉసిరి
- Malayalam
- പുളിനെല്ലി, Otaheite gooseberry, അരിനെല്ലിക്ക
- Marathi
- हरफ़रौरी Harpharori, रायआवळा, रायआंवळा
About Harfarauri
Star Gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and 12 other states. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and planted as an ornamental. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Harfarauri 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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