Wendlandia tinctoria subsp. tinctoria

 
  • Family : RUBIACEAE
    (Madder Or Coffee Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : COFFEE FAMILY (कॉफी फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Rubiaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Wendlandia tinctoria subsp. cinnamomea Cowan; Rondeletia tinctoria Roxb.; Wendlandia tinctoria var. normalis Hook.f.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Wendlandia tinctoria (Roxb.) DC.
  • Vernacular name :
    • Tilai, Telli, Icha, Dhulda tilai, Banabasanga (Oria)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Stream banks of Sal forests
  • Comments / notes : W. tinctoria is a key nectar source during the summer season; Species shows variation in leaf shape, size, and degree of hairiness on floral parts.
  • Key identification features : A small to medium-sized tree, 6–8 m tall, dbh 10–30 cm; bark thin, brown to reddish-brown, variably fissured, slightly flaking in mature individuals; leaves glossy dark green or dull above, light to mid-green beneath, smooth and glabrous on the upper surface, more or less minutely pubescent below; stipules erect, stiff, ending in a subulate point or bearing laterally compressed appendages; flowers yellowish-white, sessile, commonly grouped in dense fascicles with many short bracts forming compact terminal panicles; calyx green, 4-lobed, often hairy or hirsute with long hairs; corolla 4-lobed.
  • Flower, Fruit : January-August
  • Collector(s) Name : Arun Singh, Raja K. Swamy, Navendu Page
  • Collection Date : 25/02/2016
  • Collection Nos : HJCB-0510
  • Collection Locality : Mahanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Nyagarah district (OD)
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Visakhapatnam district, Kurnool district, Krishna district
    • Odisha : Ganjam district
    • Tamil Nadu : Kancheepuram (Changalpattu-CGP) district
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China
  • Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • Raju, A.J.S., et al. 2011. Wendlandia tinctoria (Roxb.) DC. (Rubiaceae), a key nectar source for butterflies during the summer season in the southern Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(3): 1594-1600
    • Brandis Dietrich. Indian trees, Constable and company Ltd, London, 1921. Pg.: 374 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/4035439689
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Wendlandia tinctoria subsp. tinctoria
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Wendlandia tinctoria subsp. tinctoria. Downloaded on 4 October 2026.

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution
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