Chimat / Cat Thorn
Scutia myrtina
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- February-November
How to identify Chimat
Identify Chimat 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: Stiff spiny scrambling branches (cat thorn).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf shape: Obovate.
- Confirm fruit type: Berry.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-November.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Scutia myrtina
- Genus
- Scutia
- Family
- Rhamnaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Habitat
- On plains and in scrub jungles
- Habitat type
- Scrub
- Distribution
- India, Africa, Madagascar, India, Seychelles, Mascarene Islands, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Mauritius
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-November
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“Leaves are ovate to obovate, often notched at the apex, but always with mucronulate tip, opposite with usually entire margin, sometimes wavy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- ObovaterecordedEgg-shaped but broader near the tip rather than the base.“Leaves are ovate to obovate, often notched at the apex, but always with mucronulate tip, opposite with usually entire margin, sometimes wavy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- UndulaterecordedA wavy, rippled edge.“Leaves are ovate to obovate, often notched at the apex, but always with mucronulate tip, opposite with usually entire margin, sometimes wavy.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chimat itself; the rest are typical of the Rhamnaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit type
- BerryrecordedA fleshy fruit with seeds embedded directly in the pulp, no central stone.“The fruit is a berry with black skin and white flesh containing two to three seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chimat itself; the rest are typical of the Rhamnaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- கொக்கிமுள்ளு Kokkimullu, பின்றொடரி Pinrotari, சுடலி Sudali
- Kannada
- ಕುರುಡಿ Kurudi
- Malayalam
- കൊക്കിമുള്ള് Kokkimullu
- Marathi
- चिमट Chimat, मसारी Masari
About Chimat
A member of the Rhamnaceae family, Cat Thorn (Scutia myrtina) is a climbing shrub. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and 3 other states. It grows in on plains and in scrub jungles. Flowering and fruiting run from February to November.
Rhamnaceae
Buckthorn Family
Chimat belongs to the Rhamnaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rhamnaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Chimat or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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