Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh.

 
  • Family : SAPINDACEAE
    (Soapberry Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : REETHA FAMILY (रीठा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Sapindaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Capura fruticosa (Roxb.) Blanco ex Vidal; Otophora fruticosa (Roxb.) Blume; Sapindus fruticosus Roxb.; Allophylus pinnatus Roxb. ex Wight & Arn.; Capura nigrescens S.Vidal; Capura pinnata Blanco; Capura pulchella Ridl.; Capura zollingerianus Teijsm. & Binn.; Koelreuteria edulis Blanco; Otolepis cambodiana Pierre; Otolepis erythrocalyx (Hiern) Kuntze; Otolepis fruticosa Kuntze; Otolepis furcata Pierre; Otolepis nigrescens Turcz.; Otolepis nodosa Pierre; Otophora acuminata Radlk.; Otophora anomala Radlk.; Otophora bijuga Radlk.; Otophora blancoi Blume; Otophora cambodiana (Pierre) Lecomte; Otophora cauliflora Merr.; Otophora eberhardtii Gagnep.; Otophora erythrocalyx Hiern; Otophora furcata (Pierre) Lecomte; Otophora glandulosa Radlk.; Otophora grandifoliola Quisumb. & Merr.; Otophora lancifolia Radlk.; Otophora latifolia Ridl.; Otophora nigrescens Fern.-Vill.; Otophora nodosa (Pierre) Lecomte; Otophora oliviformis Radlk.; Otophora pinnata (Blanco) Merr.; Otophora pulchella (Ridl.) Merr.; Otophora resecta Radlk.; Otophora sessllis King; Otophora setigera Radlk.; Otophora siamensis Craib; Otophora zollingeriana Teijsm. & Binn.; Sapindus baccatus Blanco.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Lepisanthes fruticosa (Roxb.) Leenh.
  • Common name : Luna nut tree
  • Habit : Shrub or Tree
  • Habitat : Cultivated
  • Key identification features : Shrubs or small trees, typically up to 10 m tall, occasionally reaching 15 m; Bark variably colored, ranging from brown to silvery grey, surface smooth or lenticellate; Leaves compound, imparipinnate, terminal leaflet often very reduced, pseudo-stipules present; Leaflets ovate to obovate, 9–40 cm long, 2–12 cm wide, thin-chartaceous to coriaceous, base subcordate to acute, mostly attenuate, apex obtuse to acuminate, (sub)glabrous on both sides; Inflorescence upto 75cm long; Flowers white to reddish purple(including sepals); Sepals 4, short-clawed, ovate to obovate, 1.5–3 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, scale 2 or single, small, ciliate; Stamens 5-8, anthers subsessile, 1.2–2.2 mm long; Ovary 2-locular; Fruits dark red to bluish black, ovoid to ellipsoid, 1–3 cm long, 0.6–2 cm wide, up to 4 cm in diameter when fresh, glabrous outside and within.
  • Flower, Fruit : October-March
  • Distribution :
    • Tamil Nadu : Villipuram district
  • Native : Borneo, Cambodia, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Indo-China to Malesia
  • Literature :
    • Narasimhan, D. & Irwin, Sheeba. (2021). Flowering Plants of Tamil Nadu: A Compendium.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Lepisanthes fruticosa
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Lepisanthes fruticosa. Downloaded on 3 October 2026.

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution
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