Cleome viscosa, the Asian spider flower or naikadugu, is a sticky, strong-smelling weed with yellow flowers found on roadsides and fields across India. Its small seeds taste like mustard. In Uttarakhand they are jakhiya, the crackling tempering spice of Garhwali and Kumaoni cooking. Naikadugu means “dog mustard” in Tamil.
- Botanical name
- Cleome viscosa L.
- Family
- Cleomaceae
- Tamil
- Naikadugu
- Hindi
- Hurhur
- Parts used
- Whole herb in lists
- Habit
- Sticky cleome; Tamil hurhur is a shop word
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Sticky cleome
It is an upright annual, knee-high or more, covered in glandular hairs that make the whole plant sticky to the touch, which is what viscosa means.
The leaves are palmately compound, with three to five oval leaflets.
Flowers are bright yellow with four petals and many stamens.
The pods are long, narrow, ribbed and sticky, holding many small, dark brown, mustard-like seeds. Spider plant, Cleome gynandra, has white or pink flowers.
Crushed leaves and seeds smell sharply of mustard, the clue behind both its Tamil and its Garhwali uses.
Traditional use of Sticky cleome
Uttarakhand kitchen
Jakhiya seeds are fried in hot oil as a tadka for potatoes, dals and greens in Garhwal and Kumaon.
Uttarakhand food practice
Folk practice
The leaves and seeds appear in Indian folk preparations.
Indian folk practice
Modern notes on Sticky cleome
The seeds contain mustard-like glucosinolates and an edible oil, and food scientists have studied them as a spice and oilseed.
Agronomists know it as a common weed of rainy-season crops.
Sticky cleome safety
Use the seeds as a spice in small amounts. The leaves are not a common food.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows across tropical Asia, Africa and Australia, on roadsides, field edges and wasteland.
It flowers during and after the monsoon, attracting bees.
Its sticky hairs trap small insects.
Related plants
Also in Cleomaceae
Questions about Sticky cleome
What is jakhiya?
Its seeds, used as a tempering spice in Uttarakhand.
What older names does Cleome viscosa go by?
Polanisia viscosa.
Is Sticky cleome thaila keerai?
No. Thaila keerai is Cleome gynandra.
How is jakhiya used?
A spoonful of seeds is fried in hot mustard oil until they crackle, then poured over potatoes, dal or greens.
Is Sticky cleome sticky to touch?
Yes. Its glandular hairs leave a sticky, strong-smelling film on the fingers.
Sources
- Cleome viscosa L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q2978925 (Cleome viscosa)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.