Hernandiaceae

Lantern tree

Hernandia nymphaeifolia (C.Presl) Kubitzki

Family: Hernandiaceae
Genus: Hernandia

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Lantern tree (Hernandia nymphaeifolia) — FlowerPhoto: Jason Hernandez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (9)

Arabic: هرناندية نيلوفرية الأوراق
Chinese: 莲叶桐, 蓮葉桐
English: Lantern tree
Indonesian: Kampis cina
Japanese: ハスノハギリ
Malagasy: Amongy
Malay: Pokok Buah Keras Laut
Sundanese: Binong laut
Tongan: Fotulona

Synonyms

Biasolettia nymphaeifolia C.Presl
Hernandia peltata Meisn.
Hernandia peltata var. cordata Hochr.
Hernandia sonora var. nymphaeifolia (C.Presl) Fosberg
Hernandia vitiensis Seem. ex Pax
Sassafras mauritianum Bojer

Flowers

In flower: March to June, December (from 17 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Pacific Basin: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Jason Hernandez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Ruth Palsson, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Shelomi Doyle, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Tauʻolunga, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Licheng Shih, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Dominique Chatelin, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Darren Obbard, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: MurielBendel, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Frederique FAVRE, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Dana Lee Ling, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: MurielBendel, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Corrina, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF

More in Hernandia

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.