Bhela / Indian Marking Nut Tree
Semecarpus anacardium
Also known as Oriental Cashew Nut, Dhobi Nut Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam & more
- Flowering
- July-April
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Semecarpus anacardium
- Genus
- Semecarpus
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests on hills to 1000 m
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- Himalayas, India, Malayan Archipelago, Singapur, Australia, Africa, Indo-Malaysia, China
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Simple, largerecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhela itself; the rest are typical of the Anacardiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“Like the closely related cashew, the fruit is composed of two parts, a reddish-orange accessory fruit and a black drupe that grows at the end.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Bhela itself; the rest are typical of the Anacardiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- भेला Bhela, भिलावां Or भिलावन Bhilawan, निर्दहन Nir-Dahan,भिलावाँ bhilavan
- Nepali
- भलायो Bhalaayo
- Bengali
- অহ্বলা Ahbala, ভল্লাত Bhallata, ভল্লাতক Bhallataka
- Tamil
- சேங்கொட்டை Cen-Kottai, சோம்பலம் Compalam, காலகம் Kalakam
- Telugu
- భల్లాటము Bhallatamu, జీడిమామిడిచెట్టు Jidimamidichettu, నల్ల జీడి Nalla Jeedi
- Kannada
- ಗೇರ್ಕಾಯಿ Gerkaayi, ಗೇರು Geru, ಗೊಡ್ಡುಗೇರು Goddageru
- Malayalam
- അലക്കുചേര് Alakkucheru, ചേന്ക്കുരു Chenkkuru, തേങ്കൊട്ട Thenkotta, അലക്കുചേര്
- Marathi
- भल्लातक Bhallataka, भिल्लावा Bhilava, बिबवा Bibava, बिब्बा
About Bhela
Indian Marking Nut Tree (Semecarpus anacardium) belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam and 11 other states. It grows in moist deciduous and semi-Evergreen forests on hills to 1000 m. Flowering and fruiting run from July to April.
Anacardiaceae
Cashew family
Bhela belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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