Karpu / Apple Mangrove
Sonneratia alba
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- February-July
How to identify Karpu
Identify Karpu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Pencil-like breathing roots, mangrove tree with white flowers.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-July.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, West Bengal and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Sonneratiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Karpu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Sonneratia alba
- Genus
- Sonneratia
- Family
- Sonneratiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Mangrove forests
- Distribution
- India, Andamans (India), Madagascar, SE. Continental Asia to N. Australia, Ryu Kyu Islands, Micronesia, Solaman Islands, The new Hebrides, New Calidonia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-July
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Local Names
- Bengali
- সাদাচক কেওড়া Sadachak Keora
- Kannada
- ಕರ್ಪು Karpu
- Malayalam
- ചക്കരക്കണ്ടൽ Chakkara-Kantal, നക്ഷത്രക്കണ്ടൽ Nakshathrakkandal, സൊന്നറേഷിയ അൽബ
- Marathi
- कर्पु Karpu, पांढरी चिप्पी Pandhari Chippi
About Karpu
Apple Mangrove (Sonneratia alba) belongs to the Sonneratiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and 3 other states. It grows in mangrove forests. Flowering and fruiting run from February to July.
Sonneratiaceae
Apple Mangrove Family
Karpu belongs to the Sonneratiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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