Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
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Family
Wood - Construction and Fuelwood: It is a hard and durable timber, used for fence posts and beams and boards for house construction. Fodder - Leaves are commonly used as seasonal fodder in mid-hills.
Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal
It often occurs gregariously in primary lowland to montane forest, but is particularly common in disturbed and secondary forests, scrub and grassland at altitudes of 900-2100 m asl.
Known as "Chilaune" in Nepali due to its itchy inner bark.
Medium evergreen tree up to 35 m tall.
Stem is cylindrical, branchless for up to 25m, diameter up to 1m, with a steep buttresses rarely up to 1.8m high; bark surface ruggedly cracked into small, thick, angular pieces, red-brown to dark grey; inner bark with skin-irritating fibres, bright red in colour.
Leathery leaves are elliptic-oblong in shape and look somewhat like Champa (Michelia) leaves. Leaf margins are entire or slightly toothed.
Flowers white, fragrant, 3-4 cm across. Sepals rounded. Five white petals are broadly ovate and rounded. There is a dense bunch of orange-yellow stamens in the center.
Fruit is a woody capsule, roughly spherical, with five distinct valves. It is covered in fine, silky hairs and contains numerous, small, winged seeds.
Flowering: April – May
Fruiting: February – March