Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Medicine-Bark used in traditional medicine to treat dysentery and fever. In Ayurveda it is used as a bitter and as an astringent herb for treating skin disorders, malarial fever, urticaria, chronic dysentery, diarrhea, in snake bite and for upper purification process of Panchakarma. The Milky juice of the tree is applied to ulcers. Eco-restoration: It has benefits to soil health and biodiversity, it stands as an essential resource for reforestation and ecosystem restoration projects.
Bangaldesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Thrives in warm, tropical and subtropical regions with full sun exposure and well-drained, moist soil (mixed forests, village groves), at an elevation of 200-1000 m.
It is a tall elegant tree with spreading canopy : As it matures the branches tend to spread outwards creating a broad and rounded crown 20-50 m tall.
Stem is tall, straight that can reach up to 40 m. Younger branches are smooth and often marked with lenticels (raised bumps), while mature bark becomes grayish and rough.
Leaves are slightly rounded, leathery, dark green, form whorls of 4-7. And, a very regular branching gives the tree a beautiful shape.
Flowers are white with broadly ovate lobes that overlap to the left. The ovaries are distinct and covered with fine hairs, while the follicles are linear and separate. In October, small, greenish-white flowers appear, emitting a pleasant fragrance. After sunset, the scent fills the surroundings, leaving many people curious about the source since the flowers are not very conspicuous.
Seeds are oblong in shape, with ciliated edges. They have tufts of hairs at each end, measuring between 1.5 and 2 cm in length.
Flowering: June – November,
Fruiting: October – December.