Bark
Greyish-brown to brown, relatively smooth when young, becoming somewhat rough with age.
Sterculia guttata
Syn. Sterculia cuneata
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Spotted Sterculia (English)
- Hirik (Hindi)
- Goldada (Marathi)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Malvaceae
20m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Hairless above, velvety beneath, oblong-ovate, acute or acuminate.
Flower
Flower panicles are sparingly branched. Flower-buds are spherical. Calyx about 1 cm long, divided into 5 segments that are densely hairy outside. Flowers are chiefly male.
Fruit / Seeds
Fruit consists of 1–5 woody follicles, 7.6 cm to 12 cm long, compressed/obovoid, densely tomentose and becoming bright red or scarlet when mature. Seeds are contained within the follicles.
Did you know?
Indigenous communities traditionally collect seeds from its large, apple-sized fruits and roast them as nutritious wild nuts, particularly during food scarcity.
Distribution
Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China