Nilam-Tenga / Creeping Gooseberry
Sauropus bacciformis
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering
- June-September
How to identify Nilam-Tenga
Identify Nilam-Tenga 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 leaf margin: Entire (smooth edge).
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-September.
- In India, compare location records such as Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
- Confirm it sits within the Euphorbiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Nilam-Tenga.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sauropus bacciformis
- Genus
- Sauropus
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Grassy pastures near sea and mangrove forests, also on saline soils in inland forests and moist places
- Distribution
- India, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Celebes, Southeast Asia, South China, Malaya, Java
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- Entire (smooth edge)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Nilam-Tenga itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Nilam-Tenga itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Nilam-tenga
About Nilam-Tenga
A member of the Euphorbiaceae family, Creeping Gooseberry (Sauropus bacciformis) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It grows in grassy pastures near sea and mangrove forests, also on saline soils in inland forests and moist places. Flowering and fruiting run from June to September.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Nilam-Tenga belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Euphorbiaceae 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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