Indian screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Helicteres isora, the Indian screw tree or marorphali, is a dry-forest shrub whose fruits are twisted like a corkscrew. Its red flowers fade to slate-grey and are visited by sunbirds. The twisted fruit is sold in Indian bazaars and has a long folk reputation for colic.

Botanical name: Helicteres isora L.
Family: Malvaceae
Tamil: Idampuri
Hindi: Marorphali
Parts used: Fruit (historical list; not a first kitchen)
Habit: Twisted-follicle shrub; not a kitchen fruit
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Indian screw tree

It is a large shrub or small tree with broad, rough, toothed leaves that are lopsided at the base and hairy beneath.

Flowers are bright brick-red, with narrow, twisted petals and a long column of stamens. They turn pale grey-blue as they age, so a single bush shows two colours.

The fruit is the giveaway: five long pods twisted tightly together into a screw-like spiral, green at first and brown and hard when dry.

The stems give a strong bark fibre.

Traditional use of Indian screw tree

Folk practice

The twisted pods have been used across India for colic and gripe in infants and adults, an example of a plant whose shape suggested its use.

Indian folk practice

Fibre

Bark fibre has been used for rope, sacking and rough cordage.

Indian village practice

Modern notes on Indian screw tree

Pharmacological studies of the fruit report various activities in laboratory and animal models, but there are no good trials in infants or adults.

Colic in babies needs medical assessment, and unlabelled herbal preparations carry contamination risks.

Indian screw tree safety

Do not give herbal preparations to infants without a doctor’s advice.

Ecology and sourcing

It grows in dry deciduous forest, scrub and forest edges across India and into Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

It flowers during and after the monsoon, and the dry twisted fruits stay on the bush well into the dry season.

Sunbirds probe the flowers for nectar and pollinate them as they move from bush to bush.

Related plants

Also in Malvaceae

Questions about Indian screw tree

Why are the fruits twisted?

The five pods grow spiralled together, like a screw.

Is the fruit of Indian screw tree edible?

It is not a food. It is a dried folk-medicine article.

What is the Hindi name of Helicteres isora?

Marorphali, from marod, “twist”.

Where can I see Indian screw tree?

In dry forest edges and scrub across India, often along forest roads.

Sources

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.