Puvanna / Odal Oil Plant
Sarcostigma kleinii
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- October-February
How to identify Puvanna
Identify Puvanna by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climbing shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Seed oil used traditionally as lamp oil.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: October-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
- Confirm it sits within the Icacinaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Puvanna.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sarcostigma kleinii
- Genus
- Sarcostigma
- Family
- Icacinaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests, along the ghats, also in the sacred groves
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Tamil
- ஓடல் Odal, பூவெண்ணெய் Puvenney
- Kannada
- ಪೂವನ್ನ Puvanna
- Malayalam
- എരുമത്താളി Erumathaali, ഓടൽ Otal, വറ്റോടൽ Vattodal
About Puvanna
Odal Oil Plant (Sarcostigma kleinii) is a climbing shrub in the Icacinaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and 1 other states. It grows in evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests, along the ghats, also in the sacred groves. Flowering and fruiting run from October to February.
Icacinaceae
Icacina Or White Pear Family
Puvanna belongs to the Icacinaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Icacinaceae 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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