Kateli / Febrifuge Plant
Solanum virginianum
Also known as Yellow Berried Nightshade
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Kateli
Identify Kateli 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 shape: Ovate.
- Confirm fruit type: Berry.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Solanaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kateli.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Solanum virginianum
- Genus
- Solanum
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Degraded forest areas, also along roadsides and wasteland
- Distribution
- India, Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Australia, Polynesia, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura, Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“The plant has ovate-oblong, sinuated leaves that are unequally paired, with blades measuring 4-9 cm × 2-4.5 cm.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kateli itself; the rest are typical of the Solanaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Fruit type
- BerryrecordedA fleshy fruit with seeds embedded directly in the pulp, no central stone.“Pale yellow berries of 1.3–2.2 cm in diameter are produced, when ripe the yellow fruits are around 3 cm in diameter.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kateli itself; the rest are typical of the Solanaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कटेली Kateli, ऊंट कंटेली Oonth Kateli,भटकटैया bhatakataiya
- Nepali
- कन्टकारी
- Bengali
- কংটকরী Kantakari, কন্টিকারি
- Tamil
- Kantankattiri, கண்டங்கத்தரி
- Telugu
- Nelamulaka, Vakudu
- Kannada
- ಕಂಟಕಾರಿ Kantakaari, ಕಿಱುಗುಳ್ಳ, ಕಿರುಗುಳ್ಳ Kirugulla
- Malayalam
- Kantakariccunta, Kantakarivalutana, കണ്ടകാരിച്ചുണ്ട
- Marathi
- काटेरिंगणी Kateringani
About Kateli
Febrifuge plant (Solanum virginianum) is a herb in the Solanaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and 18 other states. It grows in degraded forest areas, also along roadsides and wasteland. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
In practice it is long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Solanaceae
Nightshade/Tomato family
Kateli belongs to the Solanaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Solanaceae 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.
All plant problem & care guides