Common name: Ramdhan Champa, Golden champak, Mickey Mouse Plant • Hindi: रामधन चम्पा Ramdhan Champa • Kannada: Ramatana champaka • Telugu: Sunari, Tammi, Erra Juvvi, Kukkamovi • Tamil: Kalkuruvi, Chilanti
Botanical name: Ochna obtusata Family: Ochnaceae (Ramdhan Champa family) Synonyms: Ochna squarrosa
This native of East India is a woody shrub or a small tree with glossy leaves.
It has
attractive yellow flowers, followed by seeds surrounded by bright red sepals.
The bright red seed cup is as attractive as the flowers.
The seeds are initially green, but turn jet black later. With some
imagination, the red seed cup looks like the face of the Disney cartoon
character Micky Mouse! Infact, some cousins of this plant are called Mickey
Mouse plant. Propagation is by seeds, which grow quickly, or by cuttings from
hard wood, which are slower.
Identification credit: Rajendra Shinde & Navendu Pagé
| Photographed in Sundar Nursery, Delhi. |
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