Typical of the Celastraceae family
Pleurostylia opposita
Chiru Piyari / Panakka Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
- Flowering
- June-December
Chiru Piyari in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil | Not recorded | Chiru Piyari, Karuvaali, Karuvali |
| Malayalam | പനക്ക · കരുവാളി | Karuvali, Panakka |
See the original recorded names
- Tamil
- Chiru Piyari, Karuvaali, Karuvali
- Malayalam
- Karuvali, പനക്ക Panakka, കരുവാളി
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP native range includes Andaman Is., India, Laccadive Is. Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: E. Mozambique, W. Indian Ocean, Hainan, Trop. Asia to New Caledonia, N. & SE. Queensland.
- Recorded habitat
- Evergreen forests
- Explore nearby plants
- Tamil Nadu →Karnataka →Andhra Pradesh →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Chiru Piyari
Identify Chiru Piyari 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: Opposite leaf arrangement.
- Confirm leaf shape: Glossy oval, opposite arrangement.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
- Confirm it sits within the Celastraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chiru Piyari.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Pleurostylia opposita
- Genus
- Pleurostylia
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Mauritius
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Glossy oval, opposite arrangementrecorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chiru Piyari itself; the rest are typical of the Celastraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
Typical of the Celastraceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
About Chiru Piyari
Panakka Tree (Pleurostylia opposita) is a tree in the Celastraceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It grows in evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from June to December.
Celastraceae
Staff-Tree Family
Chiru Piyari belongs to the Celastraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Celastraceae 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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