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Carallia brachiata (Lour.) Merr.
Synonym
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Barraldeia madagascariensis
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Family
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Rhizophoraceae
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Local name
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English
- Freshwater Mangrove
Malayalam
- Vallabham
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Flowering and fruiting period
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October-April
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Distribution
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Indo-Malesia
and Australia
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Distribution in Kerala
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All
Districts
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Habitat
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Semi-evergreen
forests, also in the plains
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Uses
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Bark of Carallia brachiata is
traditionally used in wound healing, treating itch, oral ulcer, inflammation
of throat and stomatitis.
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Key
Botanical Characters:
Evergreen trees; up to 25 m; bark 10-12 mm
thick, dark grey, corky, furrowed, prominently pustular-lenticellate; blaze
pink, petiole stout, glabrous; Leaves simple, opposite. Flowers bisexual,
cream coloured, sessile, small, in short, trichotomous axillary branching
cymes; bracteoles minute, calyx tube campanulate, lobes 5-8, ovate, acute,
valvate; petals 5-8, clawed, orbicular-cordate, margin deeply lacerate,
reddish, inserted on a crenulate disc; disc 10-16 lobed; stamens 10-16,
inserted with them on the disc, one of each pair opposite the petal, slightly
longer than the other filament, which is opposite to a sepal; filaments
filiform; anthers small; ovary half inferior, 3-5-celled; ovules 2 in each
cell; style subulate; stigma 4-lobed. Fruit a drupe, red, filiform; seed one,
bright orange, subreniform.
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