Meradu / Common Polygala
Polygala chinensis
Also known as Indian Milkwort
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh & more
- Flowering
- April-January
How to identify Meradu
Identify Meradu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm flower colour: Purple.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Polygalaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Meradu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Polygala chinensis
- Genus
- Polygala
- Family
- Polygalaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Open deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, New Guinea
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala, Meghalaya, Odisha, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Meradu itself; the rest are typical of the Polygalaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Meradu
- Bengali
- Nilkanta
- Tamil
- Chiriya nankai, Siriyanangai
- Kannada
- Belesoppu, Bili cheeni Kanigalu, Ghuntaani
- Malayalam
- Amrithanjan chedi
- Marathi
- नेगली Negli
About Meradu
A member of the Polygalaceae family, Common Polygala (Polygala chinensis) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and 5 other states. It grows in open deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from April to January.
Polygalaceae
Milkwort Family
Meradu belongs to the Polygalaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Polygalaceae 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