68
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L
Synonym
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:
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Bruschia macrocarpa
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Family
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:
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Oleaceae
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Local name
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:
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English - Night jasmine, Parijat
Malayalam - Pavizhamalli
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Flowering
and fruiting period
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:
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September-April
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Distribution
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:
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South Asia
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Distribution
in Kerala
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:
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All Districts
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Habitat
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:
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Grown in homesteads as garden plant
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Endemic/Exotic
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Exotic
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Uses
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:
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Used in various
ailments like fever, enlargement of the spleen, malaria, blood dysentery,
cough and gastritis. Juice of leaves is used as digestive and antidote to
reptile venom. Seeds are used to cure scurfy infection of scalp, piles and
skin diseases.
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Key Botanical Characters:
It
is a shrub or a small
tree growing to
10 m (33 ft) tall, with flaky grey bark. The leaves are opposite, simple, broad, with
an entire margin. The flowers are
fragrant, with a five- to eight-lobed white corolla with an
orange-red centre; they are produced in clusters of two to seven together,
with individual flowers opening at dusk and finishing at dawn. The fruit is a
bilobed, flat brown heart-shaped to round capsule, each lobe
containing a single seed.
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