Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth.

 
  • Family : MIMOSACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : BABOOL FAMILY (बबूल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Leguminosae
  • Subfamily : Mimosoideae
  • Basionym : Mimosa dulcis Roxb.
  • Synonym(s) : Inga dulcis (Roxb.) Willd.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth.
  • Common name : Manila Tamarind, Sweet Tamarind, Blackbead, Madras thorn, Monkeypod, Guamuchil, Guayamochil
  • Vernacular name :
    • Vilayati Babul, Vilayati imli, Jangle-jalebi (Hindi)
    • Seeme hunase, Parmunche kaayi mara (Kannada)
    • Karapilly, Kodukkapuli Kodukkaaipuli (Tamil)
    • Simachinta (Telugu)
    • Simakoina (Oria)
    • Vilayati chinch (Marathi)
    • Kodakapuli, Korukkapuli (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Deciduous forests, also planted in gardens
  • Comments / notes : Introduced in plains to 1400m. Cultivated in tropics, sometime self sown.
  • Key identification features : A thorny tree; flowers in globose heads; pod coilled; aril of seed edible.
  • Flower, Fruit : December-July
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : West Godavari district, West Godavari district, Chittoor district, Kurnool district, Y.S.R. Kadapa district, Anantapur district, Visakhapatnam district
    • Karnataka : Common
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Odisha : Kandhamal district
    • Tamil Nadu : Coimbatore district, Kancheepuram (Changalpattu-CGP) district, Vellore district, Tiruvannamalai district, Tirunelveli district, Tiruchirapalli district, Dharmapuri district, Salem district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : North Andaman, South Andaman, North Nicobar
  • Native : Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Venezuela
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Cultivated Tropics of the World
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • K.Ravikumar, A.C.Tangavelou, & Navendu Page. (2021). Seed plants of Karnataka, India: A concise dictionary. FRLHT-TDU, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
    • Parkinson, C.E. 1923. A Forest Flora of the Andaman Islands, Govt. of India, Shimla
    • P. S. N. Rao, P. M. Padhey, B. K. Sinha, H. S. Debnath, P. Lakshminarasimhan, & L. N. Ray. (1999). Flora of Andaman-Nicobar Islands (Vol. 1). Director, Botanical Survey of India.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Pithecellobium dulce
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Pithecellobium dulce. Downloaded on 5 October 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution
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