Ban Champa / Forest Champa
Spermadictyon suaveolens
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh & more
- Flowering
- August-March
How to identify Ban Champa
Identify Ban Champa by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent (softly hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-March.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Ban Champa.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Spermadictyon suaveolens
- Genus
- Spermadictyon
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Distribution
- India, China
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Pubescent (softly hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban Champa itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Ban Champa itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बन चंपा Ban Champa, महाबल Mahabal, पादन हींग Padan Hing
- Nepali
- बाख्रा पीरे Baakhraa Pire, बन चाँप Ban Chaamp, गुह्य बीरी Guhya Biri
- Kannada
- ಅಡವಿ ಚಂಪಕ Adavi Champaka
- Marathi
- गिडेसा Gidesa, गितसाई Gitasai, जिनसाई Jinsayi, गिडेसा
About Ban Champa
Forest Champa (Spermadictyon suaveolens) is a shrub in the Rubiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and 6 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from August to March.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Ban Champa belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rubiaceae 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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