Rinorea bengalensis (Wall.) Kuntze

 
  • Family : VIOLACEAE
    (Violet Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : RATHNAPURUSHA FAMILY (रत्नपुरुष फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Violaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Alsodeia wallichiana Hook.f. & Thomson; Pentaloba ceylanica Arn.; Pentaloba fasciculata Turcz.; Pentaloba semigyrata Turcz.; Pentaloba zeylanica Thwaites; Rinorea bengalensis f. nhatrangensis (Gagnep.) M.Jacobs; Rinorea ceylanica (Arn.) Kuntze; Rinorea fasciculata (Turcz.) Merr.; Rinorea glandulosa (Elmer) Merr.; Rinorea immersa (Craib) Craib; Rinorea lankawiensis (Ridl.) Craib; Rinorea nhatrangensis Gagnep.; Rinorea obtusa (Korth.) Kuntze; Rinorea paradoxa (Blume ex Oudem.) J.J.Sm. ex Koord. & Valeton; Rinorea pruinosa (Pulle) Melch.; Rinorea salomonensis (Rech.) Melch.; Rinorea semigyrata (Turcz.) J.J.Sm.; Rinorea wallichiana (Hook.f. & Thomson) Kuntze
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Rinorea bengalensis (Wall.) Kuntze
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Abundant One of the common shrub in the leaf-shedding forests of the islands and found in all localities.
  • Comments / notes : The leaves, which are somewhat resemble those of the tes plant, are said to be used to adulterate tea.
  • Key identification features : A shrub 6-12 feet high. Flowers small, white, on slender pedicels in axillary facials, globular, the apices of the petals recurved. Capsule 0.25 in. diam.
  • Flower, Fruit : March-May
  • Collection Nos : KFP 6987, CJS 15993, KFP 6987
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Dakshina Kannada district, Hassan district, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Uttara Kannada district, Udupi district
    • Kerala : Kannur district, Wayanad district, Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Myomyo in S,Andaman, Hut Bay in L. Andaman
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Indo-Malesia, Australia and Pacific Islands
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Flora of Hassan district, Karnataka
    • Flora of Karnataka, Saldanha, 1984
    • Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Flora of Coorg district, Karnataka state
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Parkinson, C.E. 1923. A Forest Flora of the Andaman Islands, Govt. of India, Shimla: 83
    • K.Ravikumar, A.C.Tangavelou, & Navendu Page. (2021). Seed plants of Karnataka, India: A concise dictionary. FRLHT-TDU, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
    • 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=Rinorea bengalensis
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Rinorea bengalensis. Downloaded on 3 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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