Bahera / Belliric Myrobalan
Terminalia bellirica
Also known as Bedda Nut Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- March-December
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Terminalia bellirica
- Genus
- Terminalia
- Family
- Combretaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Indian subcontinent
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China, Malesia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Variable
Typical of the Combretaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Combretaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- बहेड़ा bahera, बहुवीर्य bahuvirya, भूतवास bhutvaas, Kalk
- Nepali
- बर्रो barro, बर्रो
- Bengali
- বহেড়া baheda, Baheda, Bahera
- Tamil
- தான்றி tanri, Semmaram, தான்றி
- Telugu
- భూతావాసము bhutavasamu, కర్షఫలము karshaphalamu, తాడి tadi, Tadi
- Kannada
- ತಾಱಿ, ತಾರಿ Taari, ತಾಱೆ, Tare Mara
- Malayalam
- താന്നി thaanni, Thanni, താന്നി
- Marathi
- बेहडा behada, बिभीतक bibhītaka, कलिद्रुम kalidruma, Kalidruma
- Sanskrit
- Bahuvirya, Bibhitakah
- Gujarati
- Baheda
- Odia
- Bahada
- Assamese
- Bhoira
- Urdu
- Bahera
Bahera in India
This large deciduous tree, known as बहेड़ा bahera (Hindi), தான்றி tanri (Tamil), భూతావాసము bhutavasamu (Telugu), ತಾಱಿ (Kannada), താന്നി thaanni (Malayalam), बेहडा behada (Marathi), produces one of the three fruits used in Ayurveda's Triphala. Terminalia bellirica is found across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, typically in deciduous forest alongside other Terminalia species.
Uses
Its dried fruit (bahera) is the second of the three fruits combined into Triphala, a long-used Ayurvedic preparation — a traditional use, not a medical claim — and its bark and fruit have also been used in tanning and dyeing.
How to Identify Bahera
A large deciduous tree with leaves clustered near the ends of the branches. Small, unpleasant-smelling flowers appear in spikes, followed by a rounded, faintly five-angled, downy fruit that dries hard and grey-brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Belliric myrobalan called in different Indian languages?
- बहेड़ा bahera (Hindi); தான்றி tanri (Tamil); భూతావాసము bhutavasamu (Telugu); ತಾಱಿ (Kannada); താന്നി thaanni (Malayalam); बेहडा behada (Marathi); বহেড়া baheda (Bengali); Baheda (Gujarati); Bahada (Odia); Bahuvirya (Sanskrit).
- What is bahera's role in Triphala?
- It's one of the three dried fruits — alongside haritaki (Terminalia chebula) and amla (Phyllanthus emblica) — that make up the traditional Ayurvedic formula Triphala.
- How can you tell bahera from harad?
- Bahera's fruit is rounder and covered in fine down, while harad (Terminalia chebula) fruit is more sharply five-ribbed and smooth — both trees are otherwise similar in habit.
Combretaceae
Indian almond family
Bahera belongs to the Combretaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Combretaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Combretaceae
View all Combretaceae →Sources: GBIF — Terminalia bellirica (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Terminalia bellirica (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)