What is Chebulic Myrobalan called in different Indian languages?

हर्रा Harra (Hindi); kaDukkaay (Tamil); Nallakaraka (Telugu); ಅಳಲೆ Alale (Kannada); Katukka (Malayalam); Hirad (Marathi); Haritaki (Bengali); Hirda (Gujarati); Karedha (Odia); Abhaya (Sanskrit).

Is harad the same as haritaki?

Yes — harad (Hindi) and haritaki (Sanskrit) both refer to the dried fruit of Terminalia chebula.

Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic combination of three dried fruits — haritaki (Terminalia chebula), bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica) and amla (Phyllanthus emblica) — used in Ayurveda; it is a traditional preparation, not a medically evaluated treatment.

✿Combretaceae · Terminalia

Terminalia chebula

Harra / Chebulic Myrobalan

Also known as Gallnut, Black Myrobalan

Native in Indian regions · Kew WCVPTreeoutdoorMedicinal

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
Flowering: February-October

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One plant. Many familiar names.

Harra in regional languages

Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.

Recorded regional names for Harra
Language	Regional script	Recorded Latin spelling
Hindi	हर्रा · हरड़	Harra, Harad, Hirdi
Nepali	हर्रो	Harro
Bengali	হরিতকী	Haritaki
Tamil	Not recorded	kaDukkaay, Amagola, Arabi, Aridadi
Telugu	కరక్కాయ	Nallakaraka, Karkchettu
Kannada	ಅಳಲೆ · ಅಳಿಲೆ · ಅಣಲೆ	Alale, Alile, Anale
Malayalam	Not recorded	Katukka, Kadukka, Putanam
Marathi	हिरडा	Hirad, Hirda
Sanskrit	Not recorded	Abhaya
Gujarati	Not recorded	Hirda
Odia	ହରୀତକୀ	Karedha
Assamese	Not recorded	Hilika, Hilikha, Shilikha, Silikha
Urdu	ہریڑ	Haejarad
Sinhala	අරළු	Not recorded

See the original recorded names

Hindi: हर्रा Harra, हरड़ Harad, Harra, Hirdi
Nepali: हर्रो Harro, हर्रो
Bengali: Haritaki, হরিতকী
Tamil: kaDukkaay, Amagola, Arabi, Aridadi
Telugu: Nallakaraka, Karkchettu, కరక్కాయ
Kannada: ಅಳಲೆ Alale, ಅಳಿಲೆ Alile, ಅಣಲೆ Anale, Alale
Malayalam: Katukka, Kadukka, Putanam
Marathi: Hirad, हिरडा, Hirda
Sanskrit: Abhaya
Gujarati: Hirda
Odia: Karedha, ହରୀତକୀ
Assamese: Hilika, Hilikha, Shilikha, Silikha
Urdu: Haejarad, ہریڑ
Sinhala: අරළු

Ecology & growing context

Native status · Kew WCVP: WCVP native range includes Assam, India, West Himalaya Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Indian Subcontinent to China (W. Yunnan) and Indo-China.
Recorded habitat: Dry and moist deciduous forests
Explore nearby plants: Maharashtra →Karnataka →Tamil Nadu →

Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.

How to identify Harra

Identify Harra 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: Ridged oval astringent fruit.
Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
Confirm fruit type: Drupe.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-October.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Terminalia chebula
Genus: Terminalia
Family: Combretaceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Dry and moist deciduous forests
Habitat type: Forest
Native to: Indian subcontinent
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar
Found in India: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana
Flowering & fruiting: February-October
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf arrangement: AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“The leaves are alternate to subopposite in arrangement, oval, 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in) long and 4.5–10 cm (1.8–3.9 in) broad with a 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) petiole.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Type: Simple
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Harra itself; the rest are typical of the Combretaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower arrangement: PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“They are borne in terminal spikes or short panicles.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fruit type: DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The fruit is drupe-like, smooth ellipsoid to ovoid, 2–4.5 cm (0.79–1.77 in) long and 1.2–2.5 cm (0.47–0.98 in) broad, blackish, with five longitudinal ridges.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Spike
Fruit: Drupe

Characters marked “recorded” are for Harra itself; the rest are typical of the Combretaceae family — flowering plants only.

Harra in India

This tree, known as हर्रा Harra (Hindi), kaDukkaay (Tamil), Nallakaraka (Telugu), ಅಳಲೆ Alale (Kannada), Katukka (Malayalam), Hirad (Marathi), produces one of the best-known fruits in Ayurvedic tradition. Terminalia chebula is found across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, typically in deciduous forest.

Uses

The dried ribbed fruit (harad/haritaki) is one of the three fruits combined into Triphala, a long-used Ayurvedic preparation, and the fruit and bark have a history of use in tanning and dyeing — traditional uses, not medical claims.

How to Identify Harra

A medium to large deciduous tree with a rounded crown and oval, opposite to sub-opposite leaves. Small, unpleasant-smelling pale yellow flowers cluster at branch tips, followed by the distinctive fruit: an oval, five-ribbed drupe that ripens from green to yellow-brown and is usually sold dried.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chebulic Myrobalan called in different Indian languages?: हर्रा Harra (Hindi); kaDukkaay (Tamil); Nallakaraka (Telugu); ಅಳಲೆ Alale (Kannada); Katukka (Malayalam); Hirad (Marathi); Haritaki (Bengali); Hirda (Gujarati); Karedha (Odia); Abhaya (Sanskrit).
Is harad the same as haritaki?: Yes — harad (Hindi) and haritaki (Sanskrit) both refer to the dried fruit of Terminalia chebula.
What is Triphala?: Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic combination of three dried fruits — haritaki (Terminalia chebula), bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica) and amla (Phyllanthus emblica) — used in Ayurveda; it is a traditional preparation, not a medically evaluated treatment.

Botanical family

Combretaceae

Indian almond family

Harra belongs to the Combretaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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More in Combretaceae

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Sources: GBIF — Terminalia chebula (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Terminalia chebula (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)