Firmiana simplex (L.) W.Wight

 
  • Family : STERCULIACEAE
    (Sterculia Or Cocoa Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : COCOA FAMILY
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Malvaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Clompanus simplex (L.) Kuntze; Culhamia simplex (L.) Nakai; Hibiscus simplex L.; Sterculia firmiana J.F.Gmel.; Sterculia simplex (L.) Druce; Caucanthus platanifolia (L.f.) Raf.; Clompanus pyriformis Kuntze; Culhamia hadiensis J.F.Gmel.; Culhamia platanifolia Steud.; Culhamia triloba Raf.; Firmiana chinensis Medik. ex Steud.; Firmiana platanifolia (L.f.) Marsili; Firmiana platanifolia f. tomentosa (Thunb.) H.Hara; Firmiana platanifolia var. tomentosa (Thunb.) Sa.Kurata; Firmiana simplex var. glabra Hatus.; Sterculia fiorniana J.F.Gmel.; Sterculia platanifolia L.f.; Sterculia pyriformis Bunge; Sterculia tomentosa Thunb.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Firmiana simplex (L.) W.Wight
  • Common name : Country tragacanth, False tragacanth, Indian tragacanth
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kaavalam, Chen thanaku, Vellaippoothali, Aanai naar (Tamil)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Tropical dry deciduous forests to Tropical dry evergreen forests
  • Key identification features : Small to medium-sized upright deciduous tree with a rounded crown, grows 30-45ft tall; Bark smooth, greenish on young branches and trunk, somewhat unusual in appearance; Leaves alternate, large, palmately veined, upto 30cm across, bright green above, pubescent below; Inflorescence terminal panicles; Flowers unisexual, monoecious, mildly fragrant, star-shaped, yellowish-green, upto 2cm wide; Fruit capusle, leathery, split into 4or 5 sections.
  • Flower, Fruit : October-April
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district
    • Tamil Nadu : Most of the districts
  • Native : Bangladesh, China, Hainan, Japan, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : SE. Bangladesh to Central & S. China and Vietnam, S. Japan to Taiwan
  • Literature :
    • Narasimhan, D. & Irwin, Sheeba. (2021). Flowering Plants of Tamil Nadu: A Compendium
    • K.Ravikumar, A.C.Tangavelou, & Navendu Page. (2021). Seed plants of Karnataka, India: A concise dictionary. FRLHT-TDU, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Firmiana simplex
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Firmiana simplex. Downloaded on 3 October 2026.

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution

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