Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Aporosa cardiosperma

Syn. Croton cardiospermus

IUCN Red List Vulnerable (VU)

Local name

  • Deccan Aporosa (English)
  • Vetti, Kodali (Malayalam)
  • Salle (Kannada)
  • Vittil (Tamil)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Phyllanthaceae
15m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Aporosa cardiosperma bark

Bark

Brownish to greyish-brown, smooth to shallowly fissured, with a pink blaze; branchlets round and hairless.

Aporosa cardiosperma leaves

Leaves

Leaves are simple, alternate, narrowly oblong to elliptic, 7.5–17 × 3–7.5 cm, leathery to papery and hairless, with a long-pointed tip and a raised midrib; leaf stalks swollen at both ends.

Aporosa cardiosperma flower

Flower

Dioecious: male and female flowers on separate trees. Male flowers small, yellow, in axillary catkins; female flowers pale green, in short clusters.

Aporosa cardiosperma fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Fruits are smooth, round, yellow capsules, about 1–1.3 cm across, with a few heart-shaped seeds covered in a sour, orange-yellow pulp.

Aporosa cardiosperma

Did you know?

The species name cardiosperma means “heart-shaped seed”. The sour fruit pulp is edible and is eaten by birds, which spread the seeds. Its leaves and roots are used in traditional remedies, including for jaundice and headache.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

W. & S. India, Sri Lanka.