Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton

kal-LOW-troh-pis -- Greek: kalos (beautiful); tropis (ship's keel) ... Dave's Botanary
jy-GAN-tee-uh or gy-GAN-tee-uh -- large, gigantic ... Dave's Botanary

commonly known as: crown flower, gigantic swallow-wort • Ahom: টুন-পৌ tun-paw • Assamese: আকন akon • Bengali: আকন্দ aakanda • Bodo: गोगोन्दो gogondo • Chepang: आनक aanak • Danuwar: अंकोन ankon • Dimasa: वाइ-बुलाइ-गेदेबा wai-bulai-gedeba • Dogri: चिट्टा अक्क chitta akk • Garo: bol·akanda • Gujarati: આકડો akado, સફેદ આકડો safed akado • Hajong: আখঁন aakhon, আকন্দ akanda • Haryanvi: आक aak, मदार madar, सफेद आक safed aak • Hindi: आक aak, अर्क ark, बहुक bahuk, भास्कर bhaskar, मदार madar, मन्दार mandar, प्रतापस pratapas, सूर्य surya, वसुक vasuk • Kachchhi: ધોળો આકડો dhoro akado • Kannada: ಅರ್ಕ arka, ಆಸ್ಫೋತ aasphota, ಬಿಳಿ ಎಕ್ಕೆ bili eke, ಎಕ್ಕ ekka, ಗಣರೂಪ ganarupa, ಮಂದಾರ mandara, ಪ್ರತಾಪಸ prataapasa • Kokborok: angan • Kol: आकंता akanta, आकवन akwan, पलती palati, पतलाधुधा patladhudha • Konkani: धवी रुई dhavi rui, रुई rui • Malayalam: എരിക്കു erikku, വെള്ളെരിക്കു vellaerikku • Manipuri: ꯑꯡꯀꯣꯠ angkot • Marathi: अकडा akra, अर्क arka, मांदार mandara, रुई rui • Mizo: hnah-pawl • Mundari: ପତଲାଧୁଧା पतलाधुधा patladhudha • Nepali: आँक aank • Nyishi: akon pat, takom ash • Odia: ଆକନ୍ଦ akanda, ଅରଖ arakha, ଧଳା ଅରଖ dhala arakha • Pali: अक्क akka • Punjabi: ਅੱਕ akk, ਮਦਾਰ madar • Rabha: আক্ষম-ফাং akhom-phang • Rajasthani: आक aak, सफेद आक safed aak, सफेद आंकडा safed ankada • Sanskrit: आदित्य aditya, अलाक alaka, अर्क arka, आस्फोत asphota, बहुक bahuka, भास्कर bhaskara, चित्रभानु chitrabhanu, दिवाकर divakara, दिव्यपुष्पिका divyapushpika, एकाष्ठीला ekashthila, गणरूप ganarupa, ग्रहपति grahapati, ह्रस्वाग्नि hrasvagni, जम्भन jambhana, कर्ण karna, खर्जूघ्न kharjughna, क्षीरच्छद kshiracchada, मन्दार mandara, प्रताप pratapa, प्रतापस pratapasa, पुच्छिन् pucchin, राजार्क rajarka, रश्मिपति rashmipati, रवि ravi, रविप्रिय ravipriya, सदाप्रसून sadaprasuna, सदापुष्पी sadapushpi, शङ्करपुष्प shankarapushpa, शर्करापुष्प sharkarapushpa, शीतपुष्पक shitapushpaka, शिवपुष्पक shivapushpaka, शुकफल shukaphala, श्वेतार्क shvetarka, सीर sira, सितालक sitalaka, सितालर्क sitalarka, सूर sura, सूर्याह्व suryahva, सूर्यलता suryalata, सूर्यपत्त्र suryapattra, तरणि tarani, तूलफल tulaphala, विकीरण vikirana, विक्षीर vikshira, विशुक vishuka, वृत्तमल्लिका vrttamallika • Santali: ᱟᱠᱟᱣᱱᱟ akaona, ᱯᱟᱨᱠᱷᱟ parkha • Tagin: takom ash • Tamil: அருக்கம் arukkam, அருளகம் arulakam, எருக்கு erukku, நீல எருக்கு neela erukku, உதும்பரம் utumparam, வெள்ளெருக்கு vellerukku • Telugu: అర్కము arkamu, జిల్లేడు jilledu, మందారము mandaramu, ఉచ్చింత uchchinta, ఉస్తె uste • Tharu: अखुआ akhua • Tibetan: ཨ་རྒ། a rga, ཨར་ཀ། ar ka • Tulu: ಎಕ್ಕಮಲೆ yekkamale • Urdu: آك aak, ارك ark, بہك bahuk, بهاسکر bhaskar, مدار madar, مندار mandar, پرتاپس pratapas, سوريه surya, وسك वसुक vasuk

known for / parts made use of: whole plant, roots and root bark, stem bark fibers, leaves, flowers, seed floss (pod cotton), milky latex ... compiled from the web.

botanical names: Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton ... homotypic synonyms: Asclepias gigantea L. • Madorius giganteus (L.) Kuntze ... and more at POWO, retrieved 17 July 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

crown flower

• Flowers of India ... (accessed: July 17, 2026)
• Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia ... (accessed: July 17, 2026)
• Although the flower is native to India, it became the favourite flower of Queen Lili`uokalani of Hawaii, and thus became considered a symbol of royalty. In the Hawaiian language, kalaunu means "crown". Thus the Pua kalaunu is known as the crown flower [↗].

gigantic swallow-wort

• Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.
• Molesworth, J. T. (James Thomas). A dictionary, Marathi and English. 2d ed., rev. and enl. Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's press, 1857.
• Brown, Charles Philip. A Telugu-English dictionary. 2nd ed. Madras: Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903.
• The earliest English botanical writings (roughly 1780 to 1830), the plant was initially and popularly called "Gigantic Swallow-wort" (a direct translation of its older European genus association - Asclepias gigantea). ... compiled from the web.
• The phrase "Swallow-wort" is an ancient, traditional English common name used since the Middle Ages for plants belonging to the genus Asclepias (and closely related European genera like Vincetoxicum). The name comes from an old European folklore belief that swallows used the milky sap of native Asclepias plants to heal their blind chicks. ... compiled from the web.

~~~~~ AHOM ~~~~~

written in: Ahom, Latin, Assamese ... mainly used by priests and scholars for religious and educational purposes; spoken in: erstwhile Ahom kingdom (some part in present day Assam) ... other names for this language: Tai-Ahom

টুন-পৌ tun-paw

• Ethnobotanyofnortheastindia (2020 onwards). Database of names of useful plants of north-east India - developed by the members of ethnobotanyofnortheastindia Google-site ... Accessed on 21 July 2026

~~~~~ ASSAMESE ~~~~~

written in: Assamese (অসমীয়া) ... spoken in: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya

আকন akon

• XOBDO - Your gateway to multilingual knowledge and resources ... (accessed: July 21, 2026)
• Deka, Dipali (2007) - Ethno medico botanical study of certain tribes of Goalpara district, Assam :: Chapter 5 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

~~~~~ BENGALI ~~~~~

written in: Bengali (বাংলা) ... spoken in: West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

আকন্দ aakanda

• Biswas, Sailendra. Samsad Bengali-English dictionary. 3rd ed. Calcutta, Sahitya Samsad, 2000.
• PRAIN, DAVID - BENGAL PLANTS - VOL. II

~~~~~ BODO ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari or Latin ... spoken in: Assam ... other names for this language: Boro

गोगोन्दो gogondo

• Deka, Dipali (2007) - Ethno medico botanical study of certain tribes of Goalpara district, Assam :: Chapter 5 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

~~~~~ CHEPANG ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (च्योःबाङ्) ... spoken in: Indo-Nepal Terai (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh), Eastern Himalayas (Assam, Sikkim, West Bengal) ... spoken by: the Chepang (or Chewang, Chewang, Chybang, Kachharge, Praja, Tsepang) people

आनक aanak

• Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

~~~~~ DANUWAR ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (दनुवार) ... spoken in: Indo-Nepal Terai (Bihar, West Bengal) ... spoken by: the Danuwar (or Danwar, Denwar, Dhanvar, Dhanwar) people

अंकोन ankon

• Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

~~~~~ DIMASA ~~~~~

written in: Bengali-Assamese, Devanagari, Latin ... spoken in: Assam, Nagaland ... other names for this language: Hill Kachari

वाइ-बुलाइ-गेदेबा wai-bulai-gedeba

• U N Kanjilal, P C Kanjilal, A Das, R N De - Flora of Assam - Vol III

~~~~~ DOGRI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (डोगरी) ... spoken in: Jammu & Kashmir ... spoken by the Dogras

चिट्टा अक्क chitta akk^(●)

• Many thanks to OM Prakash Vidyarthi for help with this name ... facebook
• चिट्टा chitta = white-coloured; अक्क akk = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ GARO ~~~~~

written in: Roman, Bengali-Assamese, A-Chik Tok'birim ... spoken in: Meghalaya, Assam

bol·akanda

• Deka, Dipali (2007) - Ethno medico botanical study of certain tribes of Goalpara district, Assam :: Chapter 5 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

~~~~~ GUJARATI ~~~~~

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

આકડો akado (formal: આંકડો ankado | extended: મોટો આકડો moto akado)

• વનસ્પતીઓ ના ગુજરાતી તથા બોટનીકલ નામ ની યાદી :: સંકલન કર્તા વૈધ શ્રી કે,જે,ઝાલા ... (downloaded: 19 Jan 2026)
• Amar Shri Ratilal P. Chandaria's Gujarati Lexicon - the most comprehensive Gujarati language resource
• Patel, Mayur & Punjani, Bhasker. (2021). A study of angiosperm diversity in Bayad taluka of Aravalli district, Gujarat. - International Journal of Botany. 6. 709-718. ... (downloaded: Sep 15, 2023)
• When categorizing Calotropis gigantea specifically for Gujarat, the prefixes in the names help distinguish it from its smaller relative, Calotropis procera. Thus મોટો આકડો (Moto Akado) = Calotropis gigantea (The larger "Giant" Crown Flower); નાનો આકડો (Nano Akado) = Calotropis procera (The smaller, desert variety). ... compiled from the web.

સફેદ આકડો safed akado^(●)

• Patel, Mayur & Punjani, Bhasker. (2021). A study of angiosperm diversity in Bayad taluka of Aravalli district, Gujarat. - International Journal of Botany. 6. 709-718. ... (downloaded: Sep 15, 2023)
• સફેદ safed = white-coloured; આકડો akado = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ HAJONG ~~~~~

written in: Bengali-Assamese (হাজং), Latin ... spoken in: Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal

আখঁন aakhon

• Ethnobotanyofnortheastindia (2020 onwards). Database of names of useful plants of north-east India - developed by the members of ethnobotanyofnortheastindia Google-site ... Accessed on 21 July 2026

আকন্দ akanda

• Deka, Dipali (2007) - Ethno medico botanical study of certain tribes of Goalpara district, Assam :: Chapter 5 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

~~~~~ HARYANVI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (हरियाणवी or हरयाणवी) ... spoken in: Haryana, Delhi

आक aak (extended: मोटो आक moto aak), मदार madar

• Haryana Forest Flora - A Comprehensive Database of Ligneous Plants of Haryana (India) ... (accessed: July 21, 2026)

सफेद आक safed aak^(●)

• Haryana Forest Flora - A Comprehensive Database of Ligneous Plants of Haryana (India) ... (accessed: July 21, 2026)
• Department of Bio Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University (2002) - Medicinal plants of some districts of Haryana an ethnobotanical survey :: Chapter 4 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET ... (downloaded: Feb 9, 2022)
• सफेद safed = white-coloured; आक aak = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ HINDI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (हिन्दी) ... spoken in: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand

आक aak, अर्क ark (or अरक arak), बहुक bahuk, भास्कर bhaskar, मन्दार mandar, प्रतापस pratapas, सूर्य surya

• Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.

मदार madar, वसुक vasuk

• for Asclepias gigantea L. ... Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.

सफ़ैद आक safed aak^(●)

• FRLHT's ENVIS Centre on Medicinal Plants ... (accessed: July 18, 2026)
• सफ़ैद safed = white-coloured; आक aak = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ KACHCHHI ~~~~~

written in: Gujarati (કચ્છી), Sindhi (ڪڇّي) ... spoken in: Kutch region of Gujarat

ધોળો આકડો dhoro akado^(●)

• Patel, Yatin & Patel, Rohitkumar & Pankaj, Joshi & Dabgar, Yogesh. (2011). Study of the Angiospermic flora of Kachchh district, Gujarat, India. Life Sciences Leaflets. 19. 739-768. ... (downloaded: Feb 9, 2022)
• ધોળો dhoro = white-coloured; આકડો akado = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ KANNADA ~~~~~

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

ಅರ್ಕ arka (extended: ರಾಜಾರ್ಕ raja-arka), ಆಸ್ಫೋತ aasphota, ಗಣರೂಪ ganarupa, ಪ್ರತಾಪಸ prataapasa

• Kittel, Ferdinand. Kittel's Kannada-English dictionary. Rev. and enl. ed. [Madras] University of Madras, 1968-1971.
• Alar - an authoritative Kannada-English dictionary corpus created by V. Krishna

ಬಿಳಿ ಎಕ್ಕೆ bili ekke^(●)

• Subrahmanya, Prasad K - Exploration and elucidation of traditional medicinal plants of erstwhile Tulunadu and surrounding area of Kerala and Karnataka :: Chapter 4 :: Shodhganga - a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET
• ಬಿಳಿ bili = white-coloured; ಎಕ್ಕೆ ekke = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

ಎಕ್ಕ ekka (variant: ಎಕ್ಕೆ ekke | extended: ಎಕ್ಕದ ಗಿಡ ekkada gida)

• Alar - an authoritative Kannada-English dictionary corpus created by V. Krishna
• Subrahmanya, Prasad K - Exploration and elucidation of traditional medicinal plants of erstwhile Tulunadu and surrounding area of Kerala and Karnataka :: Chapter 4 :: Shodhganga - a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET
• Kittel, Ferdinand. Kittel's Kannada-English dictionary. Rev. and enl. ed. \[Madras] University of Madras, 1968-1971.
• ಪದಕಣಜ - ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಅಧಿಕೃತ ಜಾಲತಾಣ ... Padakanaja - Official website of Government of Karnataka

ಮಂದಾರ mandara (archaic: ಮನ್ದಾರ mandara)

• Alar - an authoritative Kannada-English dictionary corpus created by V. Krishna
• Kittel, Ferdinand. Kittel's Kannada-English dictionary. Rev. and enl. ed. [Madras] University of Madras, 1968-1971.

~~~~~ KOKBOROK ~~~~~

written in: Koloma, Latin, Bengali–Assamese (ককবরক), Kokmari ... spoken in: Tripura ... other names for this language: Tripuri, Kokbarak, Tippera, Tipra, Trippera

angan

• Dr. Kishore Deb Barma - Tribal Folk Medicine of Tripura - Tribal Research and Cultural Institute, Government of Tripura ... (downloaded: Jan 25, 2025)

~~~~~ KOL ~~~~~

written in: Warang Chiti (or Barang Kshiti, Varang Kshiti), Devanagari ... spoken in: Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal ... spoken by: Kol people

आकंता akanta, आकवन akwan

• Singh, Harish. (2008). ETHNO-MEDICINAL PLANTS OF JHARKHAND, INDIA. ... (downloaded: July 18, 2026)

पलती palati (or पल्टी palti)

• Singh, Harish. (2008). ETHNO-MEDICINAL PLANTS OF JHARKHAND, INDIA. ... (downloaded: July 18, 2026)
• A forest flora of Chota Nagpur including Gangpur and the Santal-Parganahs by Haines, Henry Haselfoot, 1867-1943

पतलाधुधा patladhudha

• Behera, Kambaska Kumar (2006) Ethnomedicinal Plants used by the Tribals of Similipal Bioreserve, Orissa, India: A Pilot Study, Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Vol. 2006: Iss. 1, Article 17. ... (downloaded: Nov 25, 2024)

~~~~~ KONKANI ~~~~~

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

धवी रुई dhavi rui^(●), रुई rui

• Dalgado, Daniel Gelanio. Flora de Goa e Savantvadi: catalogo methodico das plantas medicinaes, alimentares e industriaes. Portugal, Imprensa Nacional, 1898. ... (downloaded: 21 Sept 2020)
• V D Vartak (1966) - Enumeration of plants from Gomantak India with a note on botanical excursions to the Castlerock area :: Chapter 5 :: Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET
• धवी dhavi = white-coloured; रुई rui = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ MALAYALAM ~~~~~

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

എരിക്കു erikku, വെള്ളെരിക്കു vellaerikku^(●)

• Subrahmanya, Prasad K - Exploration and elucidation of traditional medicinal plants of erstwhile Tulunadu and surrounding area of Kerala and Karnataka :: Chapter 4 :: Shodhganga - a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET
• Gundert, Hermann. A Malayalam and English dictionary. Mangalore, London, C. Stolz; Trübner & Co., 1872.
• വെള്ള vella = white-coloured; എരിക്കു erikku = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ MANIPURI ~~~~~

written in: Meiteilon (ꯃꯩꯇꯩꯂꯣꯟ), Bengali-Assamese ... spoken in: Manipur ... other names for this language: Meetei

ꯑꯡꯀꯣꯠ angkot (formal: ꯑꯡꯒꯣꯠ anggot)

• Flowers of India ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)
• Sharma, H. Surmangol. Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary. Imphal : Sangam Book Store, 2006.
• for ¿ Calotropis arboretum ? (L.) W.T. Aiton ... Ningombam, D. & Devi, S. & Singh, Potsangbam & Pinokiyo, Athokpam & Thongam, Biseshwori. (2014). Documentation and Assessment on Knowledge of EthnoMedicinal Practitioners: A Case Study on Local Meetei Healers of Manipur. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences. 9. 53-70. 10.9790/3008-09115370. ... (downloaded: Nov 20, 2024)
• In all probability, Calotropis arboretum must be a typo — blending the author citation of the actual plant with the word "arboretum" (a botanical garden for trees) or "arborea". In some 19th-century travel and botanical texts, such as J.D. Hooker’s Himalayan Journals [↗], the plant was informally or mistakenly referred to as "Calotropis arborea" to describe its tree-like habit (arborea meaning tree-like in Latin). ... compiled from the web.

~~~~~ MARATHI ~~~~~

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

अकडा akra

• The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society Vol II (1887)
• Historically transcribed as "अकडा Akrá" by R. A. Sterndale and H.M. Phipson in the BNHS Journal (1887)

अर्क arka (or अर्की arki), मांदार mandara, रुई rui (variant: रुइटी ruiti)

• Molesworth, J. T. (James Thomas). A dictionary, Marathi and English. 2d ed., rev. and enl. Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's press, 1857.

~~~~~ MIZO ~~~~~

written in: Latin, Bengali-Assamese ... spoken in: Mizoram ... other names for this language: Lushai, Duhlian

hnah-pawl

• O. P. Singh et. al. - State of Environment Report of Mizoram 2016 - Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of Mizoram ... (downloaded: Feb 9, 2022)
• ENVIS :: Biological Diversity In Mizoram ... (downloaded: Aug 18, 2022)

~~~~~ MUNDARI ~~~~~

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

ପତଲାଧୁଧା पतलाधुधा patladhudha

• Behera, Kambaska Kumar (2006) Ethnomedicinal Plants used by the Tribals of Similipal Bioreserve, Orissa, India: A Pilot Study, Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Vol. 2006: Iss. 1, Article 17. ... (downloaded: Nov 25, 2024)

~~~~~ NEPALI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (नेपाली) ... spoken in: Nepal, West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir

आँक aank

• Many thanks to Saroj Kumar Kasaju for help with this name ... eFloraofIndia
• Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

~~~~~ NYISHI ~~~~~

written in: Latin ... spoken in: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam ... spoken by the Daffla (or Dafla) tribe, now known as Nyishi tribe ... other names for this language: Nishi, Nisi, Nishang, Nissi, Nyising, Leil, Aya, Akang, Bangni-Bangru, Solung

akon pat, takom ash

• Toku, Bani & Deuri, Mundeep & Borah, Dipankar & Tangjang, Sumpam & Das, Abhaya. (2021). Traditional phyto-medicines from the districts along the course of Subansiri river in Arunachal Pradesh, India: A review. ... (downloaded: Sep 13, 2023)

~~~~~ ODIA ~~~~~

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

ଆଦିତ୍ୟ aditya, ଆକନ୍ଦ akanda, ଅର୍ୟ୍ୟମା arjyama, ବେଧାଃ bedhah, ଭାସ୍କର bhaskara, ଭାସ୍ୱାନ୍ bhaswan, ବିକର୍ତ୍ତନ biarttana, ବିବସ୍ୱାନ bibaswan, ବିଭାକର bibhakara, ବିରୋଚନ birochana, ବ୍ରଧ୍ନ bradhna, ଦିବ୍ୟ ପୁଷ୍ପିକା dibya pushpika, ଦିନ ବନ୍ଧୁ dina bandhu, ଦିନମଣି dina mani, ଦିନ ପତି dina pati, ଦିନେଶ dinesha, ଡ୍ୟୁମଣି dyumani, ଗ୍ରହପତି grahapati, ହରିଦଶ୍ୱ haridashwa, ହିମାରାତି himarati, ହ୍ରସ୍ୱାଗ୍ନି hraswagni, କଟୁକ katuka, କ୍ଷୀରୀ kshiri, ମହିର mahira, ମନ୍ଦାର mandara, ମାର୍ତ୍ତଣ୍ଡ marttanda, ମାର୍ତ୍ତାଣ୍ଡ marttanda, ପଦ୍ମବନ୍ଧୁ padma bandhu, ପ୍ରଭାକର prabhakara, ପ୍ରତାପ pratapa, ରାଜାର୍କ rajarka, ରକ୍ତପୁଷ୍ପ rakta pushpa, ରଶ୍ମି ପତି rashmi pati, ରୁଦ୍ର rudra, ସବିତା sabita, ସଦା ପ୍ରସୂନ sada prasuna, ସଦାପୁଷ୍ପ sadapushpa^(●), ସଦାପୁଷ୍ପୀ sadapushpi, ଶମ୍ଭୁ shambhu^(●), ଶଙ୍କରାଦି shankaradi^(●), ଶିବ ମଲ୍ଲୀ shiba malli, ଶିବ ପୁଷ୍ପକ shiba pushpaka, ଶିବ ଶେଖର shiba shekhara^(●), ଶିବାହ୍ୱୟ shibahwaya, ଶୁକ୍ଳ ଫଳ shukla phaḻa^(●), ଶ୍ୱେତା କନ୍ଦ shweta kanda^(●), ଶ୍ୱେତ ମନ୍ଦାର shweta mandara^(●), ସୀର sira, ସିତାଳକ sitalaka^(●), ସିତ ପର୍ଣ୍ଣୀ sitaparnni, ସ୍ଫୋତା sphota^(●), ସୁପୁଷ୍ପ supushpa^(●), ସୂର sura, ସୂର୍ଯ surja, ସୂର୍ୟ୍ୟ surjya, ସୂର୍ୟ୍ୟ ବୃକ୍ଷ surjya bruksha, ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟାହ୍ୱ surjyahwa, ସୂର୍ୟ୍ୟପତ୍ର surjyapatra, ସୂର୍ୟ୍ୟସଂଜ୍ଞ surjyasamjna, ତପନ tapana, ତାପନ tapana, ତପନଚ୍ଛଦ tapanachchhada, ତରଣି tarani

• Praharaj, G.C. Pūrṇṇachandra Orḍiā bhāshākosha: a lexicon of the Oriya language. Cuttack: Utkal Sahitya Press, 1931-1940.
• Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

ଅରଖ arakha (formal: ଅରକ araka)

• Praharaj, G.C. Pūrṇṇachandra Orḍiā bhāshākosha: a lexicon of the Oriya language. Cuttack: Utkal Sahitya Press, 1931-1940.
• Sethi, Jashabanta & Kumar, Sanjeet & Supriya Devi, Rajkumari & Mishra, Sweta & Marndi, Sugimani & Rout, Subhalakshmi & Jena, Nibedita. (2026). Floral Diversity of Rourkela Forest Division, Odisha. ... (downloaded: June 27, 2026)
• Pattanaik, Chiranjibi & Chintala, Sudhakar Reddy & Dhal, Nabin. (2008). Phytomedicinal study of coastal sand dune species of Orissa, India. Indian journal of traditional knowledge. 7. 263-268. ... (downloaded: Oct 14, 2025)
• Behera, Kambaska Kumar (2006) Ethnomedicinal Plants used by the Tribals of Similipal Bioreserve, Orissa, India: A Pilot Study, Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Vol. 2006: Iss. 1, Article 17. ... (downloaded: Nov 25, 2024)
• Kumar, Sanjeet & IFS, Sudeep. (2024). Medicinal Plants used by the tribals of Odisha. ... (downloaded: Dec 14, 2025)
• Kumar, Sanjeet & Mishra, Sweta & Mishra, Arun & Kumar N, Sanath. (2023). Floral Diversity of Koira and Barsuan Ranges, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha ... (downloaded: Aug 26, 2024)

ଧଳା ଅରଖ dhala arakha^(●)

• Sudam Charan Sahu, Sabita Tudu, Namita Maharana, Sifan Priyadarshini. (2024). Assessment of plant diversity in Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University Campus, Odisha, India. Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation, 3(2), 1–25. ... (downloaded: July 21, 2026)
• Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.
• NOTE: While some web publications incorrectly attribute the name ଧଳା ଅରଖ (dhala arakha) to Calotropis procera, authoritative field flora registries confirm it belongs strictly to the rare white-flowered morph of Calotropis gigantea. ... compiled from the web.

~~~~~ PALI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (पालि) ... used by priests and scholars, the sacred language of Theravada Buddhism

अक्क akka

• Pali Text Society, London. The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary. Chipstead, 1921-1925.

~~~~~ PUNJABI ~~~~~

written in: Gurmukhi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) ... spoken in: Punjab

ਅੱਕ akk, ਮਦਾਰ madar

• Bamber, Charles James - Plants of the Punjab : a descriptive key to the flora of the Punjab, North-west Frontier Province, and Kashmir, the names of plants listed in this book are a mix of Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu ... (downloaded: Jan 7, 2023)

~~~~~ RABHA ~~~~~

written in: Assamese (ৰাভা), Bengali, English ... spoken in: Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Meghalaya

আক্ষম-ফাং akhom-phang

• Deka, Dipali (2007) - Ethno medico botanical study of certain tribes of Goalpara district, Assam :: Chapter 5 - Shodhganga :: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

~~~~~ RAJASTHANI ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (राजस्थानी) ... spoken in: Rajasthan

आक aak (extended: मोटो आक moto aak)

• Barmer - Forest Department - Rajasthan Government ... (downloaded: Jul 1, 2025)
• Manju Chaudhary and S.K. Shringi - Floristic Composition of Beer Jhunjhunu Conservation Reserve of Rajasthan, India - The Biobrio 4(1 & 2), 2017 ... (downloaded: Feb 9, 2022)

सफेद आक safed aak^(●)

• R. P. Kanther - DOMINANT FLORA OF PALI-DISTRICT, RAJASTHAN, INDIA J. Indian Bot. Soc., Vol. 100 (1&2) 2020:01-15 ... (downloaded: Jun 15,2024)
• सफेद safed = white-coloured; आक aak = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

सफेद आंकडा safed ankada^(●)

• Bundi - Forest Department - Rajasthan Government ... (downloaded: Sep 21, 2020)
• Banswara - Forest Department - Rajasthan Government ... (downloaded: Sep 5, 2020)
• सफेद safed = white-coloured; आंकडा ankada = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

~~~~~ SANSKRIT ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (संस्कृतम्) ... used all over India by priests and scholars

आदित्य aditya (extended: आदित्यपत्त्र adityapattra), अलाक alaka, अर्क arka, आस्फोत asphota (extended: आस्फोतक asphotaka), बहुक bahuka, भास्कर bhaskara, चित्रभानु chitrabhanu, दिवाकर divakara, दिव्यपुष्पिका divyapushpika, एकाष्ठीला ekashthila, ग्रहपति grahapati, ह्रस्वाग्नि hrasvagni, जम्भन jambhana, कर्ण karna, खर्जूघ्न kharjughna, क्षीरच्छद kshiracchada, मन्दार mandara^(●), प्रताप pratapa, प्रतापस pratapasa, पुच्छिन् pucchin, राजार्क rajarka, रश्मिपति rashmipati, रवि ravi (extended: रविपत्त्र ravipattra), रविप्रिय ravipriya, सदाप्रसून sadaprasuna, सदापुष्पी sadapushpi, शङ्करपुष्प shankarapushpa^(●), शर्करापुष्प sharkarapushpa^(●), शीतपुष्पक shitapushpaka, शिवपुष्पक shivapushpaka, शुकफल shukaphala, श्वेतार्क shvetarka^(●), सीर sira, सितालक sitalaka^(●), सितालर्क sitalarka^(●), सूर sura, सूर्याह्व suryahva, सूर्यलता suryalata, सूर्यपत्त्र suryapattra, तरणि tarani, तूलफल tulaphala, विकीरण vikirana, विक्षीर vikshira, विशुक vishuka, वृत्तमल्लिका vrttamallika

• Learn Sanskrit - पठत संस्कृतम् - शब्दकोशः
• Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

गणरूप ganarupa

• ॥ विकिशब्दकोशः॥ स्वतन्त्रः संस्कृतशब्दकोशः

~~~~~ SANTALI ~~~~~

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

ᱟᱠᱟᱣᱱᱟ akaona (colloquial: ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ akana)

• Campbell, A., of the Santal mission A Santali-English dictionary Pokhuria, India : Santal Mission Press, 1899
• A forest flora of Chota Nagpur including Gangpur and the Santal-Parganahs by Haines, Henry Haselfoot, 1867-1943
• ᱣᱤᱠᱤᱯᱤᱰᱤᱭᱟ - ᱢᱤᱫ ᱨᱟᱲᱟ ᱜᱮᱭᱟᱱ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ... Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia
• Santhali Mingle :: List of Plant Names in Santali Language | ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ ᱛᱮ ᱫᱟᱨᱮ ᱠᱚᱣᱟᱜ ᱧᱩᱛᱩᱢ ... (accessed: July 18, 2026)

ᱯᱟᱨᱠᱷᱟ parkha

• Behera, Kambaska Kumar (2006) Ethnomedicinal Plants used by the Tribals of Similipal Bioreserve, Orissa, India: A Pilot Study, Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Vol. 2006: Iss. 1, Article 17. ... (downloaded: Nov 25, 2024)

~~~~~ TAGIN ~~~~~

written in: Roman ... spoken in: Arunachal Pradesh ... other names for this language: West Dafla, Bangni ... spoken by: Tagin people or Ghasi Miri people

takom ash

• Ethnobotanyofnortheastindia (2020 onwards). Database of names of useful plants of north-east India - developed by the members of ethnobotanyofnortheastindia Google-site ... Accessed on 21 July 2026

~~~~~ TAMIL ~~~~~

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

அருக்கம் arukkam (or அர்க்கம் arkkam), அருளகம் arulakam

• for Asclepias gigantea L. ... Winslow, Miron. A comprehensive Tamil and English dictionary of high and low Tamil. Madras: P.R. Hunt, 1862.

எருக்கு erukku, வெள்ளெருக்கு vellerukku^(●)

• University of Madras. Tamil lexicon. [Madras], University of Madras, 1924-1936.
• வெள் vel = white-coloured; எருக்கு erukku = name given to this plant ... Read more about (●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH.

நீல எருக்கு neela erukku

• Yercaud Ilango - Tamil names of Botanical names ... (downloaded: Jun 23, 2022)

உதும்பரம் utumparam

• Winslow, Miron. A comprehensive Tamil and English dictionary of high and low Tamil. Madras: P.R. Hunt, 1862.

~~~~~ TELUGU ~~~~~

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

అర్కము arkamu, జిల్లేడు jilledu (extended: నల్ల జిల్లేడు nalla jilledu, పచ్చ జిల్లేడు pacha jilledu, రాచ జిల్లేడు raacha jilledu, తెల్ల జిల్లేడు thella jilledu), మందారము mandaramu, ఉస్తె uste

• Flora Andhrika - Plant Wealth of Andhra Pradesh, India ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)
• Brown, Charles Philip. A Telugu-English dictionary. 2nd ed. Madras: Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903.
• FRLHT's ENVIS Centre on Medicinal Plants ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

ఉచ్చింత uchchinta (or ఉచ్చిత ucchita)

• Brown, Charles Philip. A Telugu-English dictionary. 2nd ed. Madras: Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1903.

~~~~~ THARU ~~~~~

written in: Devanagari (थारु) ... spoken in: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar ... spoken by the Tharu community ... pronounced in Hindi as: Tharuva (Hindi: थरुवा)

अखुआ akhua

• Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

~~~~~ TIBETAN ~~~~~

written in: Tibetan ... spoken in: Tibet, Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan

ཨ་རྒ། a rga, ཨར་ཀ། ar ka

• FRLHT's ENVIS Centre on Medicinal Plants ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)
• 84000 : Translating the words of the Buddha ... (accessed: July 20, 2026)

~~~~~ TULU ~~~~~

written in: Tigalari (Tulu) was used for writing Vedic texts in Sanskrit, Kannada (ತುಳು), Malayalam (തുളു) ... spoken in: Karnataka, north Kerala

ಎಕ್ಕಮಲೆ yekkamale (or ಎಕ್ಕಮಾಲೆ yekkamaale | variant: ಎಕ್ಕಮೆ yekkame)

• Subrahmanya, Prasad K - Exploration and elucidation of traditional medicinal plants of erstwhile Tulunadu and surrounding area of Kerala and Karnataka :: Chapter 4 :: Shodhganga - a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET
• Männer, A - Tulu-English and English-Tulu dictionary - Mangalore, Basel Mission Press (1886-8)

~~~~~ URDU ~~~~~

written in: Urdu (اردو) ... spoken in: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka

آك aak, ارك ark, بہك bahuk, بهاسکر bhaskar, مندار mandar, پرتاپس pratapas, سوريه surya

• Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.

مدار madar, وسك वसुक vasuk

• for Asclepias gigantea L. ... Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.

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

almost throughout the mainland and in the Lakshadweep islands; introduced in the Andaman islands

• Hassler, Michael (1994 - 2026): World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. Version 26.05; last update May 20th, 2026. Last accessed 17/07/2026 (dd/mm/yyyy).

^(●) THE SACRED WHITE MORPH
Names marked with (●) are names given specifically to the "white-coloured" crown flower.

Botanically, the "white-coloured" crown flower is not a distinct variety or subspecies; it is simply a colour morph or a genetic variation that occurs randomly in the wild. It is treated as sacred rarity — because the white-flowered shrub is rare, it is considered highly auspicious and sacred. Dictionaries document it heavily because it is tied to specific religious texts, tantric rituals, and temple medicine.

Parallely, there is ayurvedic superiority — traditional medicine systems (Ayurveda and Siddha) consider the white-flowered variant to have significantly higher therapeutic potency than the lilac one. It had to be given a distinct name in literature to prevent physicians from harvesting the wrong bush.

~~~~~ Created on: 12:47 17-07-2026 ¦ Last updated: 20:57 22-07-2026 (DD-MM-YYYY) ~~~~~

Apocynaceae Asclepiadoideae Asclepiadaceae shrub "Calotropis gigantea" "Asclepias gigantea" "Madorius giganteus" "crown flower" "giant calotrope" "giant milkweed" "swallow-wort"