Thursday, 12 November 2026

Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br.

Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br.

RITE-ee-a -- named for William Wright, Scottish physician and botanist ... Dave's Botanary
tink-TOR-ee-uh -- used in dyeing or has a sap which can stain ... Dave's Botanary
commonly known as: dyer’s oleander, ivory wood tree, pala indigo plant, sweet indrajao • Angika: दूधखरी dudhkhree, दूधकोरिया dudhkoria, दूधलरिया dudhlaria • Bhili: केर्नी kerni • Bhojpuri: दूधखरी dudhkhree, दूधकोरिया dudhkoria, दूधलरिया dudhlaria • Dogri: दुद्द रुक्ख dudd rukkh, मिट्ठा इंद्रजौ mittha indrajau • Gondi: करू karu • Gujarati: દુધલો dudhalo, ઈંદ્રજવ મીઠો indrajav meetho, કૂડી kudi, મીઠો દૂધલો mitho dudhalo, રૂંછાળો દૂધલો runchalo dudhlo • Haryanvi: दूधी dudhi • Hindi: दूधी dudhi, कपार kapar, करायजा karaeja, मीठा इन्द्रजौ mitha indrajau • Kachchhi: દૂધિયો dudhio, જંગલી ઝાડ jangli zad • Kannada: ಅಲಿಗಿಲಿ aligili, ಬೆಪ್ಪಾಲೆ beppaale, ಹಲ್ಲುನೋವು ಮರ hallunovu mara, ಕರೆ ಕೊಡಸಿಗೆ kare kodasige, ಕಿರಿ ಕೊಡಸಿಗೆ kiri kodasige, ಕೋಡಮುರಕ kodamuraka • Konkani: काळो कुडो kalo kudo • Magadhi: दूधखरी dudhkhree, दूधकोरिया dudhkoria, दूधलरिया dudhlaria • Malayalam: അയ്യപ്പാല aiyappaala, ദന്തപ്പാല dhanthappaala, ഗൊപ്പമ്പാല goppampaala, ഇരുമ്പാല irampaala, കമ്പിപ്പാല kambippaala, തൊണ്ടപ്പാല thondappaala, വെൽപ്പാല velppaala • Marathi: भूरेवडी bhurevadi, गोडा इंद्रजव goda indrajav, काळा कुडा kala kuda • Odia: ଧଳା କୁରେଇ dhala kurei, ଦୁଧ କେରୁଆଁ duda keruain, ଦୁଧୋକ୍ରିୟା dudhokriya, କ୍ରିୟୋ kryo, ପିତା କରୁଆଁ pita karuan, ଶ୍ୱେତକୁଟଜ swetakutaja • Rajasthani: भाकर आक bhakar aak, दूधी dudhi, खिरनी khirni • Sanskrit: असित कुटज asita kutaja, हयमारक hayamaraka, श्वेत कुटज shweta kutaja • Tamil: இரும்பாலை irumpalai, பாலைநீலம் palainilam, வெட்பாலை vetpalai • Telugu: అంకుడు ankudu, దొడ్డ పాల చెట్టు dodda paala chettu, కొడిశ విత్తులు kodisha-vittulu, కోలముఖి kolamukhi, పాల కొడిశ paala kodisha, పాల వేరి paala veri, రెప్పాల చెట్టు reppala chettu, తెడ్ల పాల tedla paala • Tulu: ಎಂಜಿರುಪ್ಪಾಲೆ enjiruppale, ಕೂಲಿಬೇನೆತ ತಪ್ಪು koolibenetha thappu, ನಯಿಕೂರಿ nayikuli • Urdu: کرايجا karaeja

known for / parts made use of: leaves, wood / timber, bark, seeds, milky latex ... compiled from the web
botanical names: Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br. ... homotypic synonyms: Nerium tinctorium Roxb. ... and more at POWO, retrieved November 09, 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
blue-dyeing rosebay
  • University of Madras. Tamil lexicon. [Madras], University of Madras, 1924-1936.
dyer’s oleander, pala indigo plant, sweet indrajao
ivory wood tree
Blue-dyeing Rosebay — A rare, high-value historical English common name used during the East India Company era. As British traders in the Madras Presidency attempted to commercialise and export the tree's leaves to Europe as an indigo-substitute cash crop, they translated the local concept of the dark, iron-colored dye plant into this colonial trade name. While "Rosebay" was an archaic British moniker for oleander-type plants, the prefix explicitly highlighted its economic utility. This name is now entirely obsolete in the living trade, agricultural fields, and raw markets of Tamil Nadu, surviving primarily in archived colonial records and translations.
Dyer’s Oleander — The word "Dyer's" relates entirely to the plant's history as an indigo substitute, but its origin is famously tied to a specific colonial pioneer: Dr. William Roxburgh (the "Father of Indian Botany"). He, while working in the Coromandel coast (modern-day Andhra Pradesh/Tamil Nadu), noticed that local artisans were using the leaves of this specific "oleander-lookalike" tree to dye cloth a deep blue. He officially documented this plant species in 1791, naming it Nerium tinctorium (tinctorium meaning "used for dyeing"). ... compiled from the web.
Pala indigo-plant — The classic name referencing its main distribution in the erstwhile Madras Presidency / Palani region and its use as an indigo substitute. ... compiled from the web.
Sweet Indrajao — The universal trade and pharmaceutical name for the plant's seeds in Indian markets, distinguishing it from "Bitter Indrajao" (Holarrhena pubescens). ... compiled from the web
The Ivory Wood tree — This is arguably the most common name encountered in colonial forestry records (like Gamble’s Manual of Indian Timbers). It was universally used by British carpenters and forest officers in India because the pristine white wood beautifully mimics true elephant ivory. It is the definitive, foundational wood used to manufacture the world-famous, GI-tagged Channapatna toys of Karnataka. ... compiled from the web.
~~~~~ ANGIKA ~~~~~
written in: historically Anga Lipi, later Kaithi, presently Devanagari (अंगिका) ... spoken in: Bihar, Jharkhand ... other names for this language: Anga, Angikar, Chhika-Chhiki
दूधखरी dudhkhree (variant: दूधखीरी dudhkhree), दूधकोरिया dudhkoria (variant: दूधकुड़िया dudhkuria), दूधलरिया dudhlaria (variant: दूधलड़िया dudhlaria)
  • Floristic Diversity of Banka - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
~~~~~ BHILI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (भीली), Gujarati (ભીલી) ... spoken in: Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra ... other names or dialects of this language: Bhilboli, Bhagoria, Garasia, Vagadi (or Wagdi)
केर्नी kerni
~~~~~ BHOJPURI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (भोजपुरी) ... spoken in: eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar and northwestern Jharkhand
दूधखरी dudhkhree (variant: दूधखीरी dudhkhree), दूधकोरिया dudhkoria (variant: दूधकुड़िया dudhkuria), दूधलरिया dudhlaria (variant: दूधलड़िया dudhlaria)
  • Floristic Diversity of Aurangabad - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Kaimur - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Rohtas - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of West Champaran - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
~~~~~ DOGRI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (डोगरी) ... spoken in: Jammu & Kashmir ... spoken by the Dogras
दुद्द रुक्ख dudd rukkh, मिट्ठा इंद्रजौ mittha indrajau
  • Many thanks to OM Prakash Vidyarthi for help with these names ... facebook
~~~~~ 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
करू karu
~~~~~ GUJARATI ~~~~~
written in: Gujarati (ગુજરાતી) ... spoken in: Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu
દુધલો dudhalo, ઈંદ્રજવ મીઠો indrajav meetho
કૂડી kudi (variants: કુડી kudi / દૂધ કૂડી dudh kudi / દૂધ કુડી dudh kudi)
મીઠો દૂધલો mitho dudhalo
રૂંછાળો દૂધલો runchalo dudhlo
~~~~~ HARYANVI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (हरियाणवी or हरयाणवी) ... spoken in: Haryana, Delhi
दूधी dudhi
  • Haryana Forest Flora - A Comprehensive Database of Ligneous Plants of Haryana (India) ... (accessed: November 10, 2026)
~~~~~ HINDI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (हिन्दी) ... spoken in: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
दूधी dudhi, कपार kapar
करायजा karaeja
मीठा इन्द्रजौ mitha indrajau (or मीठी इन्द्रयव mithi indrayau)
~~~~~ KACHCHHI ~~~~~
written in: Gujarati (કચ્છી), Sindhi (ڪڇّي) ... spoken in: Kutch region of Gujarat
દૂધિયો dudhio, જંગલી ઝાડ jangli zad
~~~~~ KANNADA ~~~~~
written in: Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) ... spoken in: Karnataka
ಅಲಿಗಿಲಿ aligili
ಬೆಪ್ಪಾಲೆ beppaale
ಹಲ್ಲುನೋವು ಮರ hallunovu mara (or ಹಲ್ಲು ನೋವಿನ ಗಿಡ hallu novina gida)
ಕೋಡಮುರಕ kodamuraka (variants: ಕೊಡ ಮುರ್ಕ koda murka / ಕೊಡ ಮುರುಕ koda muruka / ಕೋಡಮುರಕಿ kodamuraki / ಕೋಡಮುರುಕ kodamuruka)
ಕರೆ ಕೊಡಸಿಗೆ kare kodasige
ಕಿರಿ ಕೊಡಸಿಗೆ kiri kodasige (or ಕೊಡಸಿಗೆ kodasige / ಕೊಡ್ಸಿಗೆ kodsige)
~~~~~ KONKANI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (कोंकणी) / Kannada (ಕೊಂಕಣಿ) / Malayalam (കൊങ്കണി) / Perso-Arabic (کونکنی) / Romi (Konknni) ... spoken in: Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat
काळो कुडो kalo kudo
~~~~~ MAGADHI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari, Kaithi ... spoken in: Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal ... the colloquial, everyday name used by native speakers living in Bihar is strictly Magahi.
दूधखरी dudhkhree (variant: दूधखीरी dudhkhree), दूधकोरिया dudhkoria (variant: दूधकुड़िया dudhkuria), दूधलरिया dudhlaria (variant: दूधलड़िया dudhlaria)
  • Floristic Diversity of Aurangabad - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Banka - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Jamui - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Munger - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
  • Floristic Diversity of Nalanda - बिहार वानिकी विकास निगम लिमिटेड (Bihar Forestry Development Corporation Limited) ... (downloaded: December 31, 2023)
~~~~~ MALAYALAM ~~~~~
written in: Malayalam (മലയാളം) ... spoken in: Kerala, Lakshadweep
അയ്യപ്പാല aiyappaala, ദന്തപ്പാല dhanthappaala, ഇരുമ്പാല irampaala, തൊണ്ടപ്പാല thondappaala
ഗൊപ്പമ്പാല goppampaala, കമ്പിപ്പാല kambippaala
വെൽപ്പാല velppaala (variants: വെളപാല velapaala / വെള്ളപ്പാല vellappaala)
~~~~~ MARATHI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (मराठी) ... spoken in: Maharashtra, Karnataka
भूरेवडी bhurevadi
  • 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.
गोडा इंद्रजव goda indrajav
  • Many thanks to Swagat Thorat for help with this name ... eFloraofIndia
काळा कुडा kala kuda
~~~~~ ODIA ~~~~~
written in: Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ) ... spoken in: Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
ଧଳା କୁରେଇ dhala kurei (variant: ଧଳା କୁରାଇ dhala kurai)
ଦୁଧ କେରୁଆଁ duda keruain (variant: ଦୁଦା କେରୁଆଁ duda keruain), ଦୁଧୋକ୍ରିୟା dudhokriya (variant: ଦୁଧ କୁରେଇଆ dudhokriya), କ୍ରିୟୋ kryo (variant: କୁରେଇଓ kryo), ପିତା କରୁଆଁ pita karuan
ଶ୍ୱେତକୁଟଜ swetakutaja
~~~~~ RAJASTHANI ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (राजस्थानी) ... spoken in: Rajasthan
भाकर आक bhakar aak
दूधी dudhi
खिरनी khirni (variants: खिरना khirna / केर्नी kerni / केर्णी kerni)
~~~~~ SANSKRIT ~~~~~
written in: Devanagari (संस्कृतम्) ... used all over India by priests and scholars
असित कुटज asita kutaja, हयमारक hayamaraka, श्वेत कुटज shweta kutaja
~~~~~ TAMIL ~~~~~
written in: Tamil (தமிழ்) ... spoken in: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
இரும்பாலை irumpalai, வெட்பாலை vetpalai
  • University of Madras. Tamil lexicon. [Madras], University of Madras, 1924-1936.
பாலைநீலம் palainilam (or நிலபாலை nilapalai)
~~~~~ TELUGU ~~~~~
written in: Telugu ( తెలుగు) ... spoken in: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry
అంకుడు ankudu (variants: అంకుడి కొడిశ ankidi-kodisha / చిట్టంకుడు chittankudu / చిటాములు chitaamulu), దొడ్డ పాల చెట్టు dodda paala chettu (variant: దొడ్డి పాల doddi paala), కొడిశ విత్తులు kodisha-vittulu (variant: కళింగ విత్తులు kalinga-vittulu), కోలముఖి kolamukhi (variant: పాల ముఖి paala mukhi), పాల కొడిశ paala kodisha (variants: ఆకుపాల akupaala / పాల బరింకి paala baranki / పాల పరికి paala parki), పాల వేరి paala veri (variants: పాల వర paala vara / పాల వరి paala vari / పాల వెరిని paala vereni / పాలు మిలి paalu mili), రెప్పాల చెట్టు reppala chettu, తెడ్ల పాల tedla paala (variant: జెడ్డ పాల jeddapaala)
  • Flora Andhrika - Plant Wealth of Andhra Pradesh, India ... (accessed: November 10, 2026)
~~~~~ TULU ~~~~~
written in: Tigalari (Tulu) was used for writing Vedic texts in Sanskrit, Kannada (ತುಳು), Malayalam (തുളു) ... spoken in: Karnataka, north Kerala
ಎಂಜಿರುಪ್ಪಾಲೆ enjiruppale, ಕೂಲಿಬೇನೆತ ತಪ್ಪು koolibenetha thappu
ನಯಿಕೂರಿ nayikuli
~~~~~ URDU ~~~~~
written in: Urdu (اردو) ... spoken in: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka
کرايجا karaeja
~~~~~ KNOWN DISTRIBUTION in INDIA ~~~~~
Andaman islands, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
~~~~~ Created on: 14:54 09-11-2026 ¦ Last updated: 10:37 13-11-2026 (DD-MM-YYYY) ~~~~~
Apocynaceae deciduous tree "Wrightia tinctoria" "Nerium tinctorium" "blue-dyeing rosebay" "Dyer’s oleander" "ivory wood tree" "pala indigo plant" "sweet indrajao"
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