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

Tetrameles nudiflora

Syn. Tetrameles grahamiana

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

  • False Hemp Tree (English)
  • Jangli Dungy (Hindi)
  • Cheenimaram (Malayalam)

Tree type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Tetramelaceae
40m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Tetrameles nudiflora bark

Bark

Smooth, silvery-grey to light brown bark that is marked with prominent horizontal rings, lenticels, and large leaf scars on younger branches.

Tetrameles nudiflora leaves

Leaves

Large, broadly heart-shaped (cordate) leaves (10–25 cm long) with prominently serrated margins, arranged alternately at the ends of branches and covered in fine hairs beneath.

Tetrameles nudiflora flower

Flower

Tiny, unisexual, petalless flowers arranged in drooping spikes; male flowers grow in large clusters, while female flowers hang in long, dangling green strings.

Tetrameles nudiflora fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Small, urn-shaped, faintly 8-ribbed capsules (~4–5 mm long) that split open at the top to release hundreds of minute, lightweight, papery-winged seeds.

Tetrameles nudiflora

Did you know?

The species name nudiflora means “naked flower,” referring to its leafless flowering branches. The tree sheds its large leaves before blooming, leaving clusters of flowers exposed against the bare branches.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

China (S. Yunnan) to Tropical Asia and N. Queensland.