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Oriental Purpleberry

Submitted by admin on 23 January 2026
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Scientific name
Cipadessa baccifera (Roth) Miq
English Name
Oriental Purpleberry
Malayalam name
കൈപ്പനരഞ്ചി
Common name
Globular-flowered neem, Hill neem

Description

  1. Habit : Shrub
  2. Habitat : Scrub, deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-Evergreen forests, also in the sacred groves
  3. Leaves : compound, 8-30 cm long,leaf-stalk and spine either hairless or yellow velvety , ovate to ovoid-oblong
  4. Flowers : white , clusters ,Sepal cup is short, yellow velvety outside. Sepals are broadly triangular. Petals are white or yellow, linear to oblong-elliptic
  5. Fruits : small, round, berry-like drupes that turn purple to black when ripe
     
Uses

Diabetes, skin issues, headaches, indigestion, coughs, and even snakebites

Parts used
Leaves, stem, and bark
How to use
  1. Dysentery and fever : Boiling bark or leaves to create a liquid for fever, dysentery.
  2. For wounds : Crushed root, leaf, or bark mixed with goat milk or honey for wounds and skin issues.
  3. Inflamed joints : Leaf poultices applied to inflamed joints.
     

Conservation and Propagation

Propagated mainly through seeds from its ripe purple-black fruits or by cuttings, needing well-drained soil, warmth, humidity, and bright indirect light, thriving in tropical/subtropical settings, often found in open, forested areas.