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There is much debate as to the importance of the eye colour, which seems to be the only feature separating the two species.​ Cerbera odollam can be readily told apart by the yellow-centred flowers vis-à-vis initially orange-pink, but becoming red to purple with age for Cerbera manghas as per cookislands flower photos;
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India (E- & W- coasts of India), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Andaman Isl., Myanmar [Burma], Nicobar Isl., Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, peninsular Malaysia (Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Pahang, Johor), Singapore, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Society Isl., Micronesia (Pohnpei), Northern Marianas (Agrihan, Pagan), Southern Marianas (Saipan, Tinian, Aguijan, Guam), Trinidad & Tobago (I) as per Catalogue of Life;
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SER-ber-uh — from the Greek cerberus, a three-headed dog in Greek mythology … Dave’s Botanary
oh-DAHL-uhm — from the Malayalam othallam (ഒതളം), name for the plant
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commonly known as: dog-bane, grey milkwood, jungle mango, sea mango, suicide tree, yellow-eyed cerberaBengali: ডাবুর daburKannada: ಚಂಡೇ chande, ಹೊಂಡೇ honde, ಮೊಂಡೇ ಮರ monde maraKonkani: ಹೊಂಡ್ಯಾ ರೂಕು hondya ruku, खारो उरो kharo uro, सुकाणु sukanuMalayalam: ഉതളം othallamMarathi: सुकाणु sukanuOdia: ପାଣି ଆମ୍ବ pani ambaSanskrit: औद्दालक auddalaka, श्वानमार svanamaraTamil: காட்டலரி kattalari, உதளை utalaiTelugu: అడవి అరళి adavi araliTulu: ಚೆಂಡೆ ಮರ chende mara, ತೆಂಡೆ ಮರ tende mara
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… need to handle this fruit with care. Contains poison;
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Cerbera odollam at Kille Nivti:
Sharing few photographs of Cerbera odollam.
Family:
Apocynaceae
Location: Kille Nivti, Maharashtra.


Suicide tree is a tree native to India and other parts of S. Asia.
It grows preferentially in coastal salt swamps and in marshy areas. It grows wild along the coast in many parts of Western Ghats and has been grown as a hedge between home compounds. It yields a potent poison, often used for suicide or murder.
Flower are white, showy, star-shaped, 5-7 cm, with a small yellow center. Leaves are 12-30 cm long, oval, dark green and glossy, held in dense spirals at the tips of the twigs. The fruit, when still green, looks like a small mango, with a green fibrous shell enclosing an ovoid kernel measuring approximately 2 cm × 1.5 cm and consisting of two cross-matching white fleshy halves. On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown, or black. The plant as a whole yields a milky, white latex.
Cerbera odollam bears a close resemblance to the Oleander bush, another highly toxic plant from the same family.

https://ramanarunachalam.github.io/SuicideTree.html
I finally found the fruit of this tree supposed to be very poisonous in Sri Lanka

This is a common coastal tree in the Andamans and the kids play football with the dried fruits. The fruits are capable of floating and travelling far away for dispersal.



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Flowering during Malvan to Terekhol coastal trek- 28/3/08. Fwd: Id pl. – indiantreepix | Google Groups


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Request for ID : 161210-AK-1:
A tree
with white flowers having very mild fragrance at Colombo,Sri Lanka.
Second picture is of the fruits. I had seen similar ones during boat ride at the backwaters at Alleppy, Kerala in October,2008


–  Cerbera odollam
Family: Apocynaceae
Chiute, Chatthankai, Grey Milkwood, Sea Mango, Pong Pong Tree
Origin: Southern Asia


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ID pl.:
Today at Gate way of India (Mumbai) just below the Shivaji Maharaj statue we observed a handsome tree as big as plumeria alba, with a dense canopy of large, pointy, smooth (?) about 25 to 30 cm long. Flowers: plumeria alba type white flowers with elephant apple type green  fruits. The leaves were frangipany type.


Well described! It looks like a Yellow-eyed pong pong tree (Cerbera odollam), a coastal tree belonging to the family Apocynaceae; said to be poisonous…


A beautiful specimen tree is seen in Madras Theosophical Society Campus, Chennai.



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DV :: 10JUL11 – 0849 :: Cerbera ¿ odollam / manghas ?: 8 images. 3 posts by 2 authors.
Need to know whether the posted plant is Cerbera odollan OR Cerbera manghas.
Going by the yellow-centred flower, my thought is C. odollan … not sure if it occurs in C. manghas too.
Date / Time : 10 JUL 11, 08:49AM
Location / Altitude : near Kille Nivati, Kochare, Maharashtra … at sea-level
Habit: small tree, rather large shrub
Habitat: backwater

Cerbera odollam


Many many thanks … for validating the ID … me too of the same belief.



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Heritiera fruit ? Hooghly 11/9/12 SK2:
My colleague, …, took this fruit from his mother to show me and confirm its ID. His mother who visited Sundarban last week collected this fruit there and have been informed that this is a SUNDARI (Bengali) fruit.
The book, “Plant Groups”, informs SUNDARI tree is Heritiera minor Roxb., while ‘The Plant List’ informs it is Heritiera minor (Gaertn.) Roxb. which in turn is a synonym of Heritiera fomes Buch.-Ham.
A description of the above is available at – http://www.biosearch.in/publicOrganismPage.php?id=113614
I attach three views of the same fruit, which is compressed like a “litti”, but one face is slightly convex while the opposite face is a bit concave at the middle ridge. The third view is a side view.
Is this Heritiera fomes Buch.-Ham. fruit?
Species : UNKNOWN
Habit & Habitat : Mangrove tree
Date : collected on 7/9/12, photographed on 11/9/12
Place : West Bengal

it looks like Cerbera odollam (Apocynaceae).


… need to handle this fruit with care. Contains poisonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerbera_odollam


Thank you … for the ID of this fruit. I thought, except that wing or keel that it lacks on its body, it resembled the pictures of immature Heritiera littoralis available at –
  1. http://www.peakoil.dheritiera.littoralis.immature-fruits.jpg
  2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/54527470@N00/6143127923
  3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildsingapore/6143127993/
  4. http://wildshores.elevating-mangroves-with-rick.html

However, fruit size of Cerbera odollam, available at http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=2603, very much indicates that it is Cerbera odollam.


In one of my earlier post i have been informed, ” ….gender of the specific epithet should follow the gender of the generic name… “, this plant, Cerbera odollam, seems to be not following the ICBN guideline!


… that is an interesting catch; which perhaps will have some justification.
One possible reasoning is — the epithet is derived from the Malayalam name for the plant ഒതളം (othallam).



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170713 ASP 117 Attachments (1). 4 posts by 4 authors.
Please ID this small tree with globular woody fruit. Photo was taken in Sri Lanka in Oct 2012.    

From the type of habitat and the branch of the tree (assuming it is the bearer of the fruit) shown in the single pic; assuming it to be Cerebra Odollum from Apocynaceae– commonly called suicide tree. ‘Othalanga’ in Malayalam. Fruits are highly poisonous.


efi pages on Cerbera odollam & Cerbera manghas


The following pages may help –
  1. http://www.botanicgardens.gov.lk/herbarium/347&Itemid=90
  2. http://www.botanicgardens.gov.lk/herbarium/1829&Itemid=90


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For Sharing.Cochin- Cerbera Odollum.021214RT.Dec-1. : 3 post by 2 authors. Attachments (4)
Sea mango/ Suicide treeCerbera odollumat Cochin beach.
Friends; is it possible to develop a bio pesticide from the kernels of this fruit?


Cerbera odollam (A slight spelling correction) is in family Apocyanaceae
Is it different from Cerbera manghas
If yes can somebody tell us something about the differences between the two.

Thanks … I was under the impression that the ‘Cerbera manghas’ is just a synonym.Thanks for enlighting me. Waiting for other expert’s opinions.


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SK435 18MAR-2017:ID : 7 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (1)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Date: 15 June 2014
Altitude:  40 ft.

Is it Cerbera odollam?


Thanks, …, for the Id.
To me also it appears closer to images at Cerbera odollam

Yes, the “pong-pong” or “suicide tree“!


Cerbera odollam Gaertn. (accepted name) 



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Please identify : 7 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (1)- 1 Mb.
Saw this tree on the coast of sri lanka.
It is not a plumeria but looks like one.
Has a green small coconut shaped fruit.
This fruit is dried and used as dried decor in homes.
Once dried looks like a small brown dried coconut.

Some more pics of same tree.. Attachments (3) – 1 MB each


Seems to be Cerbera odollam of Apocynaceae to me.

Yes, thats the tree.


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Ripe fruits of Cerbera odollam Gaertn. (Apocynaceae) : Attachments (1) – 338 kb.
Here is an image of the ripe fruits fallen on ground from a tall tree.
Picture courtesy: Dr. A.B.D. Selvam, from North Andaman Island where this is a common tree in the coastal forests.


SK 2427 03 February 2020 : 8 posts by 3 authors. 4 images- 5 to 7 mb each.
Location :  Koh Chang, Thailand
Date: 08 December 2019
Elevation : MSL
Habitat : Cultivated

Isn’t it a Plumeria sp.?


I guess Plumeria fruits are of different shape.

Cerbera sp. I think

It is Cerbera odollam. We plant it a lot along the road side


Thank you … Cerbera odollam Gaertn.



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Names of Plants in India :: Cerbera odollam: 4 posts by 3 authors.
via Species‎ > ‎C‎ >Cerbera odollam Gaertn.

Flowers of India Discussions at efloraofindia more views in flickr more views on Google Earth
SER-ber-uh — from the Greek cerberus, a three-headed dog in Greek mythology
¿ oh-DOWL-lum ? — from the Malayalam name for the plant ഒതളം (othallam)

commonly known as: grey milkwood, jungle mango, pong pong, sea mango, suicide tree, yellow-eyed cerberaBengali: daburKannada: ಚಣ್ಡೆ chandeKonkani: खारो उरो kharo uroMalayalam: ഒതളം othallamMarathi: ¿ सुकाणू ? sukanuTamil: காட்டலரி kattalari, உதளை utalai
botanical names: Cerbera odollam Gaertn. … synonyms: Cerbera dilatata Markgr. • Cerbera forsteri Seem. • Cerbera lactaria Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng. • Excoecaria ovatifolia Noronha [Invalid] • Odollamia malabarica Raf. • Tanghinia lactaria (Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng.) G.Don • Tanghinia odollam (Gaertn.) G.Don


2nd edition …
via Species‎ > ‎C‎ > ‎
Cerbera odollam Gaertn. … family: Apocynaceae
Flowers of India Discussions at efloraofindia more views in flickr more views on Google Earth
SER-ber-uh — from the Greek cerberus, a three-headed dog in Greek mythology
oh-DAHL-uhm — from the Malayalam othallam (ഒതളം), name for the plant

commonly known as: dog-bane, grey milkwood, jungle mango, sea mango, suicide tree, yellow-eyed cerberaBengali: ডাবুর daburKannada: ಚಂಡೇ chande, ಹೊಂಡೇ honde, ಮೊಂಡೇ ಮರ monde maraKonkani: ಹೊಂಡ್ಯಾ ರೂಕು hondya ruku, खारो उरो kharo uro, सुकाणु sukanuMalayalam: ഉതളം othallamMarathi: सुकाणु sukanuOdia: ପାଣି ଆମ୍ବ pani ambaSanskrit: औद्दालक auddalaka, श्वानमार svanamaraTamil: காட்டலரி kattalari, உதளை utalaiTelugu: అడవి అరళి adavi araliTulu: ಚೆಂಡೆ ಮರ chende mara, ತೆಂಡೆ ಮರ tende mara
botanical names: Cerbera odollam Gaertn. … synonyms: Cerbera dilatata Markgr. • Cerbera forsteri Seem. • Cerbera lactaria Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng. • Excoecaria ovatifolia Noronha [Invalid] • Odollamia malabarica Raf. • Tanghinia lactaria (Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng.) G.Don • Tanghinia odollam (Gaertn.) G.Don … The Plants List (2013). Version 1.1.
July 10, 2011 … Sindhudurg

SER-ber-uh — from the Greek cerberus, a three-headed dog in Greek mythology … Dave’s Botanary

oh-DAHL-uhm — from the Malayalam othallam (ഒതളം), name for the plant

commonly known as: dog-bane, grey milkwood, jungle mango, sea mango, suicide tree, yellow-eyed cerbera • Bengali: ডাবুর dabur • Kannada: ಚಂಡೇ chande, ಹೊಂಡೇ honde, ಮೊಂಡೇ ಮರ monde mara • Konkani: ಹೊಂಡ್ಯಾ ರೂಕು hondya ruku, खारो उरो kharo uro, सुकाणु sukanu • Malayalam: ഉതളം othallam • Marathi: सुकाणु sukanu • Odia: ପାଣି ଆମ୍ବ pani amba • Sanskrit: औद्दालक auddalaka, श्वानमार svanamara • Tamil: காட்டலரி kattalari, காட்டுமா kattuma, உதளை utalai • Telugu: అడవి అరళి adavi arali • Tulu: ಚೆಂಡೆ ಮರ chende mara, ತೆಂಡೆ ಮರ tende mara

botanical namesCerbera odollam Gaertn. … synonymsCerbera dilatata Markgr. • Cerbera forsteri Seem. • Cerbera lactaria Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng. • Odollamia malabarica Raf. • Tanghinia lactaria (Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng.) G.Don • Tanghinia odollam (Gaertn.) G.Don • Excoecaria ovatifolia Noronha … POWO

Bibliography / etymology

~~~~~ ENGLISH ~~~~~
dog-bane, grey milkwood
jungle mango
sea mango, suicide tree
yellow-eyed cerbera
  • so named due to the distinct yellow colour seen in the flower throat of this species
~~~~~ BENGALI ~~~~~
ডাবুর dabur
  • Flora – Mehedi Voice … also: ডাগুর dagurডাকুর dakurডাহোর dahorডাহুর dahur
~~~~~ KANNADA ~~~~~
ಚಂಡೇ chande, ಹೊಂಡೇ honde, ಮೊಂಡೇ ಮರ monde mara
~~~~~ KONKANI ~~~~~
ಹೊಂಡ್ಯಾ ರೂಕು hondya ruku
खारो उरो kharo uro, सुकाणु sukanu
~~~~~ MALAYALAM ~~~~~
ഒതളം othallam
~~~~~ MARATHI ~~~~~
सुकाणु sukanu
~~~~~ ODIA ~~~~~
ପାଣି ଆମ୍ବ pani amba
~~~~~ SANSKRIT ~~~~~
औद्दालक auddalaka, श्वानमार svanamara
~~~~~ TAMIL ~~~~~
காட்டலரி kattalari, உதளை utalai
காட்டுமா kattuma
~~~~~ TELUGU ~~~~~
అడవి అరళి adavi arali
~~~~~ TULU ~~~~~
ಚೆಂಡೆ ಮರ chende mara
ತೆಂಡೆ ಮರ tende mara
~~~~~ x ~~~~~

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Bhitarkanika NP, December 2021 :: Cerbera odollam :: ARK2022-050: 8 images.

This was clicked near the Dangamala boating centre in Bhitarkanika mangrove NP, Odisha in December 2021.
Cerbera odollam.



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References: