Pimpinella wallichiana

Pimpinella wallichiana (Miq. ex Hofaen.) Gandhi in C.J. Saldanha & Nicolson, Fl. Hassan dist. 417. 1976; P.K. Mukh. in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 24: 45. (1982) 1983. (syn: Helosciadium wallichianum Miq. ex Hohen.; Pimpinella monoica Dalzell) as per BSI Flora of India checklist;

pim-pi-NEL-uh — from a word meaning bi-pinnate … Dave’s Botanary
wal-ik-ee-AH-nuh — named for Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, Danish plant hunter, botanist and physician … Dave’s Botanary
.

commonly known as: heartleaf pimpinel, lady’s lace • Gondi: बन जवांई ban-janwai • Gujarati: જંગલી કોથમરી jungli kothmari, પહાડી કોથમરી pahadi kothmari • Kannada: ಕಾಡು ಓಮ kaadu oma • Konkani: भंगला bhangla • Lepcha: ᰆᰩᰲ ᰀᰪᰱ chor-kup • Malayalam: കാട്ടുമല്ലി kattumalli • Marathi: भंगा bhanga, भंगला bhangla • Mundari: बना जुआनी bana-juani • Odia: ବଣ ଜୁଆଣୀ bana juani • Santali: ᱵᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱡᱟᱹᱱᱩᱢ badi-janum • Tamil: காட்டு மல்லி kattu malli • Telugu: అడవి వాము adavi vaamu
Names compiled / updated at https://dineshvalke.blogspot.com/2026/06/pimpinella-wallichiana-miq-gandhi.html

Erect herbs, 40-75 cm tall, stems simple below, branched above; stem and branches terete, faintly striate, often reddish-purple tinged, glabrous, young parts thinly pubescent. Lower cauline leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; lateral leaflets simple or secondarily pinnately trifoliate; petioles 3-6 cm long, sheathing, sparsely ciliate on margins; leaflets 2.6 x 0.8-3.2 cm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, sparsely hairy, sharply serrate; petiolules 0.4-2.0 cm long, glabrous or so; secondary leaflets of lateral leaflets sessile; upper leaves often cut into numerous, linear segments or reduced to sheaths. Flowers dull white, in terminal compound umbels; primary rays 10-15, 1.0-3.5 cm long, glabrous or nearly so, slender, peduncles 2.5-8.0 cm long. Fruits ± 0.2 cm long, ovoid, pellucid-granulate.

Flowering and fruiting: November-December

Grasslands

Peninsular India (endemic)

Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)

Apiaceae sp? 300810-PKA1 – efloraofindia | Google Groups: 3 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (6)

Came across this plant at the rock wall of Nandgiri (Kalyangad) Fort near Satara.

The plant was seen to be emerging from the rock. Looks like some Apiaceae sp.
Date/Time: 29-08-2010 / 01:35PM
Location: Nandgiri Fort near Satara
Habitat: Wild
Plant Habit: Herb (approx. 1m long).

It looks like a Pimpinella sp. possibly Pimpinella wallichiana var. katrajensis [or even P.wallichiana locally called Ranjire].

This is Pimpinella wallichiana but I am not aware of its variety

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Khandala%20herb%208-5.jpg

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Khandala%20herb%204-3.jpg

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Please identify this herb – NS 150113:
Photographed at Khandala.

Photographs 1 & 2 were taken on 26th August ’12 – [looked like a species of Begonia]

Photographs 3 to 6 on 7th October ’12.

Photographs 7 to 9 on 13th January ’13.
Is it a species of Pimpinella [P.heyneana] or a species of Heracleum ?

Pimpinella wallichiana.

Thanks … The local name is Banga.

Names of Plants in India :: Pimpinella wallichiana (Miq.) Gandhi: 1 image.
Pimpinella wallichiana (Miq.) Gandhi

pim-pi-NEL-uh — from a word meaning bi-pinnate … Dave’s Botanary
wal-ik-ee-AH-nuh — named for Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, Danish plant hunter, botanist and physician … Dave’s Botanary

known for: whole plant, root, tender leaves & shoots, dried seeds

botanical names: Pimpinella wallichiana (Miq.) Gandhi … homotypic synonyms: Helosciadium wallichianum Miq. … heterotypic synonyms: Pimpinella duthiei H.Wolff • Pimpinella katrajensis R.S.Rao & Hemadri • Pimpinella monoica Dalzell … and more at POWO, retrieved 28 June 2026

Bibliography / etymology / notes

Links listed as references in the notes below, may not remain valid permanently. Portals / websites have a tendency to re-organize / revise their content, leading to change in URLs of pages in their site. Some sites may even close down at their own will. The bits about the languages of India mentioned below are merely some bare facts gathered from the internet; just enough to satisfy curiosity about “where” could the listed names be best prevalent in India. All English transliterated names to be taken sensu amplo.

~~~~~ ENGLISH ~~~~~

written and spoken widely, in most parts of India

heartleaf pimpinel

for want of name, name coined by Flowers of India … (accessed: June 28, 2026)

lady’s lace

for Pimpinella monoica Dalzell … મ. ઝ. શાહ – લેડીઝ લેસ (Lady’s lace) – ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ
for Pimpinella monoica Dalzell … IndiaAgroNet.com … (accessed: June 28, 2026)
Lady’s Lace is not the most popular or primary name for this species globally, but it is a standard commercial and horticultural name for it within India. … compiled from the web.
Within Indian floriculture, agricultural universities, and regional gardening literature, “Lady’s Lace” is explicitly treated as the common English name for Pimpinella wallichiana (under its synonym Pimpinella monoica). … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ GONDI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (गोंडी), Gunjala Gondi, Masaram Gondi, Telugu … spoken in: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana … native name of this language: Koitur

बन जवांई ban-janwai

Indigenous tribal vernacular name applied. Documented across ethnobotanical studies of the Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve [↗] as used by the Baiga and Gond traditional medicine practitioners. The name literally translates to “wild/forest ajwain,” mapping directly to the plant’s deeply aromatic, carminative seeds and its roots, which are used locally as a traditional folk antidote for scorpion stings. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ GUJARATI ~~~~~

written in: Gujarati (ગુજરાતી) … spoken in: Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu

જંગલી કોથમરી jungli kothmari, પહાડી કોથમરી pahadi kothmari

લેડીઝ લેસ lady’s lace: The formal entry name recorded in the Gujarati Vishwakosh [↗], transliterated from the common English horticultural name.
જંગલી કોથમરી jungli kothmari: Coined for want of a native vernacular name. The Gujarati Vishwakosh states: “પર્ણો અતિવિભાજિત અને છેદન પામેલાં હોય છે અને કોથમીર જેવી સુગંધ ધરાવે છે” (“The leaves are highly segmented and divided, and possess a coriander-like fragrance.”)
પહાડી કોથમરી pahadi kothmari: Coined for want of a native vernacular name. The Gujarati Vishwakosh states: “તે સપાટ મેદાનો કરતાં પહાડી પ્રદેશોમાં વધારે સારી રીતે ખીલી ઊઠે છે” (“It thrives much better in mountainous/hilly regions rather than flat plains.”)

~~~~~ KANNADA ~~~~~

written in: Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) … spoken in: Karnataka

ಕಾಡು ಓಮ kaadu oma

Karnataka Biodiversity Board, 2019. FLORA OF KARNATAKA, A Checklist, Volume – 2: Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. 1 – 1002 (Published by Karnataka Biodiversity Board) … (downloaded: Oct 4, 2020)

~~~~~ KONKANI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (कोंकणी) / Kannada (ಕೊಂಕಣಿ) / Malayalam (കൊങ്കണി) / Perso-Arabic (کونکنی) / Romi (Konknni) … spoken in: Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat

भंगला bhangla

name borrowed from Marathi language, spoken in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra; no separate or unique standalone Konkani name is documented in the local floristic inventories

~~~~~ LEPCHA ~~~~~

written in: Lepcha (or Róng), Tibetan … spoken in: Sikkim, West Bengal

ᰆᰩᰲ ᰀᰪᰱ chor-kup

Chor-kup: Historical tribal designation recorded under the synonym Pimpinella monoica. Note: While this indigenous name originates from older, print-locked Himalayan botanical archives and is not yet indexed by mainstream web crawlers, it is preserved here to ensure its digital continuity. As archival digitization efforts progress, this record serves as an open-access bridge until these historical field logs inevitably become fully searchable on the global web. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ MALAYALAM ~~~~~

written in: Malayalam (മലയാളം) … spoken in: Kerala, Lakshadweep

കാട്ടുമല്ലി kattumalli

Applied generic vernacular name. No unique standalone species-specific name is catalogued for this species in the local floristic databases. However, the collective term Kattumalli (literally “wild coriander”) is standard across Kerala’s mountain communities for wild Pimpinella species due to the shared trait of highly segmented, coriander-scented forest foliage. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ MARATHI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (मराठी) … spoken in: Maharashtra, Karnataka

भंगा bhanga, भंगला bhangla

The Gazetteer Department – Maharashtra State … महाराष्ट्रातील वनस्पतीशास्त्र आणि वनसंपदा … (downloaded: Sep 5, 2020)

~~~~~ MUNDARI ~~~~~

written in: Mundari Bani, Odia, Devanagari, Bengali, Latin … spoken in: Jharkhand, Odisha

बना जुआनी bana-juani

The primary recorded folk name used by the Munda tribe of Chota Nagpur. Documented in ethnobotanical inventories, the compound directly translates to “wild caraway”, identifying the plant’s aromatic, carminative forest seeds used locally in traditional tribal medicine. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ ODIA ~~~~~

written in: Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ) … spoken in: Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

ବଣ ଜୁଆଣୀ bana juani

Coined generic vernacular name. No separate, species-specific Odia name is catalogued for Pimpinella wallichiana. However, the descriptive compound Bana Juani (literally “wild ajwain/caraway”) mirrors the regional naming conventions applied in Tamil (Kattu Malli) and Telugu (Adavi Vaamu), referencing the plant’s aromatic, carminative forest fruits. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ SANTALI ~~~~~

written in: Ol Chiki (ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ), Bengali (সাঁওতালী), Odia (ସାନ୍ତାଳୀ), Devanagari (सान्ताली), Roman … spoken in: Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha

ᱵᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱡᱟᱹᱱᱩᱢ badi-janum

Indigenous tribal designation recorded across the Santhal Parganas region under the synonym Pimpinella monoica. Derived from the Santali terms badi (highland shrub plot / fallow field boundary) and janum (rigid wild stalk/thorn), the folk name describes the plant’s characteristic landscape niche as a tough, erect forest-edge herb rather than referencing its culinary seed traits. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ TAMIL ~~~~~

written in: Tamil (தமிழ்) … spoken in: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

காட்டு மல்லி kattu malli

Applied generic vernacular name. No separate, species-specific Tamil name is catalogued for Pimpinella wallichiana in the official “Flora of Tamil Nadu”. However, the overarching descriptive term Kattu Malli (literally “wild coriander”) functions natively across Tamil Nadu’s hill ranges due to the plant’s distinctive, intensely aromatic, coriander-scented foliage. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ TELUGU ~~~~~

written in: Telugu ( తెలుగు) … spoken in: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry

అడవి వాము adavi vaamu

Applied generic vernacular name. No dedicated standalone species-specific Telugu term is documented for Pimpinella wallichiana in the “Flora of Andhra Pradesh”. However, the collective forest-dweller term Adavi Vaamu (literally “wild caraway/ajwain”) is universally used across the state’s hilly agencies (like Araku Valley) due to the plant’s deeply aromatic, carminative seeds. … compiled from the web.

~~~~~ KNOWN DISTRIBUTION in INDIA ~~~~~

Andhra Pradesh, **Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu; endemic

Hassler, Michael (1994 – 2026): World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 26.05; last update May 20th, 2026. Last accessed 28/06/2026 (dd/mm/yyyy).
CHHATTISGARH :: Joshi, K.C. & Negi, M. & Tiple, Ashish. (2010). Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve. Biosphere Reserves Information Series (BRIS). 10.13140/2.1.1634.4649. — Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI) … (accessed: June 28, 2026)
GOA :: Datar, Mandar & Lakshminarasimhan, P.. (2013). Check List of Wild Angiosperms of Bhagwan Mahavir (Molem) National Park, Goa, India. Check List. 9. 186-207. 10.15560/9.2.186. … (downloaded: Oct 17, 2022)
GUJARAT :: CHECKLIST OF FLORA OF GUJARAT
JHARKHAND :: Botany of Bihar and Orissa — An account of all the known indigenous plants of the Provence and the most important or most commonly cultivated exotic ones, with maps and introduction
SIKKIM :: Karnataka Biodiversity Board, 2019. FLORA OF KARNATAKA, A Checklist, Volume – 2: Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. 1 – 1002 (Published by Karnataka Biodiversity Board) … (downloaded: Oct 4, 2020)