Alunkumaram / Malabar Bladdernut
Turpinia malabarica
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering
- January-April
How to identify Alunkumaram
Identify Alunkumaram 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: Inflated papery seed pods (bladdernut).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: January-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala.
- Confirm it sits within the Staphyleaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Alunkumaram.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Turpinia malabarica
- Genus
- Turpinia
- Family
- Staphyleaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Malayalam
- Alunkumaram, Kanakkappalam, Marali
About Alunkumaram
Malabar Bladdernut (Turpinia malabarica) belongs to the Staphyleaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It grows in evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from January to April.
Staphyleaceae
Bladder-Nut Family
Alunkumaram belongs to the Staphyleaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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