Kasturi / Amargo
Quassia amara
Also known as Bitter Ash, Bitterwood
- Habit
- {"lifeform":["arbusto","árvore
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry & more
- Flowering
- January-November
How to identify Kasturi
Identify Kasturi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a {"lifeform":["arbusto","árvore habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Intensely bitter wood used medicinally, showy red flowers.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound.
- Confirm flower colour: Red.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: January-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Quassia amara
- Genus
- Quassia
- Family
- Simaroubaceae
- Habit
- {"lifeform":["arbusto","árvore
- Native to
- Tropical America
- Found in India
- Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-November
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The pinnate with 3-5 leaflets, deeply veined, polished alternated dark green leaves are 15–25 cm long and distinctive for their broadly winged axis and reddish veins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kasturi itself; the rest are typical of the Simaroubaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Redrecorded“Terminal red-branched racemes of panicles, 10–30 cm long, produces narrow, vivid crimson flowers, 2.5-3.5 cm long, that decorate the tips of each little limb.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“Terminal red-branched racemes of panicles, 10–30 cm long, produces narrow, vivid crimson flowers, 2.5-3.5 cm long, that decorate the tips of each little limb.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kasturi itself; the rest are typical of the Simaroubaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- কস্তূৰী Kasturi
About Kasturi
Amargo (Quassia amara) belongs to the Simaroubaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and 2 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from January to November.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and used to deter insects. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Simaroubaceae
Quassia Family
Kasturi belongs to the Simaroubaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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