Geru / Thickleaf Sweet-Box
Sarcococca coriacea
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- November-December
How to identify Geru
Identify Geru by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Fragrant flowers, leathery leaves (sweet box).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: November-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Meghalaya and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Buxaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Geru.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sarcococca coriacea
- Genus
- Sarcococca
- Family
- Buxaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen and shola forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab, Sikkim
- Flowering & fruiting
- November-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- Geru, Piruli, Tiliara
- Nepali
- फितिफिया Phitiphiya
- Malayalam
- Mattu-vadi
About Geru
Thickleaf Sweet-Box (Sarcococca coriacea) belongs to the Buxaceae family, where it grows as a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and 8 other states. It grows in evergreen and shola forests. Flowering and fruiting run from November to December.
Buxaceae
Boxwood Family
Geru belongs to the Buxaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Buxaceae 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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