244
Dillenia indica L.
Synonym
|
:
|
Dillenia indica var. aurea
|
Family
|
:
|
Dilleniaceae
|
Local name
|
:
|
English- Elephant apple
Malayalam-Syalita
|
Flowering
and fruiting period
|
:
|
May-February
|
Distribution
|
:
|
Indo-Malesia
|
Distribution
in kerala
|
:
|
Kannur, Kozhikkode, Wayanad
|
Habitat
|
:
|
Evergreen forests, often grown as ornamental tree
|
Uses
|
:
|
The leaf and bark of the tree are used as both astringent
and laxative. The bruised bark is used as a cataplasm in arthritis. The fruit
juice is used in cough mixture and also as a cooling beverage for toning up
the nervous system.
|
Key botanical characters :
Evergreen trees, to
25 m high, bole straight; branches spreading; bark smooth, pealing off in
small thin hard scales; branchletsappressed silky hairy. Leaves simple,
alternate, estipulate;. Flowers bisexual, 12-15 cm across, solitary, white,
terminal; pedicel 4-8 cm long, silky hairy; bracts to 5 mm long, solitary,
median on pedicels, lanceolate; sepals 5, 4-6 × 3-5 cm, obovate, orbicular or
elliptic, thick, fleshy; petals. Pseudocarps yellowish-green, globular with
enclosed sepals, 10-12 cm across. Fruit an aggregate of berries
 |
||
