Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Industrial- The roots and stem yield gutta-percha, a non elastic form of latex that can be used as an electrical insulator and in making plastics etc. Wood - Utencils: The wood is used for turning items such as spoons and for engraving. The wood is also used to make combs
Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Thrives in forests, woodlands, near sea level to an elevation of 700 -2700 m.
It is small tree can reach up to 10 m in height with a bushy or spreading growth pattern.
Stem is with thick trunk, corky bark with a pale gray color.
Leaves are ovate or oblong in shape, with a single row of fine teeth along the margins. These teeth have bristle-like tips that eventually fall off (deciduous). The leaves are variable in size, typically measuring 3-8 cm long.
Flowers are greenish-white, appear in clusters branching out from the leaf axils (where the leaf meets the stem), about 0.7 cm across, 4 sepals per flower. 4petals per flower measuring 0.5-0.7 cm long. Petals are lance-shaped to oblong with blunt tips (obtuse) and have margins that curl back slightly.
Fruit is a capsule that splits open to reveal orange or red seeds with a fleshy coating.
Flowering: April – July,
Fruiting: August – November.