About Winter Cherry
Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha, is an evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae family that is native to the Middle East and North Africa, other African regions, southern Europe, Indian subcontinent, and across Southeast Asia. Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologically similar. Other common names include Indian ginseng and winter cherry. Withania somnifera is a short shrub 35–75 cm (14–30 in) tall with tomentose branches, dull green elliptic leaves up to 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in) long, small green bell-shaped flowers, and orange-red ripe fruit. It is affected by various pests and diseases in India, which can damage plant health and reduce its secondary metabolite content.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Withania somnifera
- Genus
- Withania
- Family
- SOLANACEAE
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Mediterranean, Canary Islands, South Africa
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- असगन्ध Asgandh, अश्वगंधा Ashwagandha, हयगंधा Haya-Gandha
- Nepali
- अश्वगन्धा Ashwagandhaa, अश्वगन्धा
- Bengali
- অশ্বগন্ধা Asbagandha, অশ্বগন্ধা
- Tamil
- அசையு Acaiyu, அசுவகந்தி Acuvakanti, அசுவம் Acuvam
- Telugu
- అశ్వగంధ Ashwagandha, దొమ్మడోలు Dommadolu, పెన్నేరు Penneru
- Kannada
- ಅಂಗರ ಬೇರು/ಗಡ್ಡೆ Angara beru/gadde, ಅಶ್ವಗಂಧ Ashwagandha, ಹಿರೇಮದ್ದಿನ ಗಿಡ Hiremaddina gida
- Malayalam
- അമുക്കുരം Amukkuram, പേവെട്ടി Pevetti, അമുക്കുരം
- Marathi
- अश्वगंधा Ashwagandha, आस्कंद Askanda, ढोरगुंज Dorgunja
Solanaceae
Nightshade/Tomato family
Winter Cherry belongs to the Solanaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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