MPdb: Melghat Plant Data Bank
MT104 : Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. |
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| Melghat's Flora's Serial No. : |
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| Plant Location in Melghat : | ||||||||||||||
| Plant Category : | Tree | |||||||||||||
| Plant's Current Status : | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |||||||||||||
| Plant Family : | APOCYNACEAE | |||||||||||||
| Plant Common Name : | Scholar Tree, Dita bark, Devil tree, Blackboard Tree • Bengali: Chattim • Hindi: Saptaparni, Shaitan ka jhar, Chitvan • Kannada: Aelele Haale, Bantale, Doddapala • Malayalam: Daivappala • Marathi: Satvin • Sanskrit: Saptaparna • Nepali: Chhatiwan, Chhalaamain, Paalimaaraa • Tamil: Ezilai piLLai mukumpalai • Telugu: Daevasurippi | |||||||||||||
| Synonym : | Alstonia kurzii Hook.f. Alstonia scholaris var. avae A.DC. Alstonia scholaris var. blumei A.DC. Alstonia scholaris var. velutina Monach. Alstonia spectabilis Kurz Echites pala Buch.-Ham. ex Spreng. Echites scholaris L. Pala scholaris (L.) Roberty |
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| Description : | Large trees; height to 30 m; bark 10-15 mm thick, surface grey-brown, irregularly cracked and shallowly fissured, subverrucose, lenticellate; blaze creamy yellow, outer layer thin, corky, inner layer brittle; latex milky white; branchlets whorled. Leaves simple, whorled, estipulate; petiole 5-12 mm long, stout, glabrous; lamina 5-20 x 3-7 cm, obovate, oblanceolate or obovate-oblong; base cuneate or attenuate; apex obtuse or emarginate; margin entire, glabrous, subcoriaceous; lateral nerves many, slender, prominent, glabrous, parallel, looped near the margin forming intramarginal nerves; intercostae reticulate, obscure. Flower bisexual, 10-12 mm long, greenish-white in terminal umbellate cymes; calyx cupular, lobes 5, ovate, unequal, obtuse, puberulous, eglandular; corolla salver shaped, 4 mm across, lobes 5, obovate to orbicular, creamy yellow, spreading; stamens 5, included; anthers narrowly cordate; disc obscure; carpels 2, free, ovules many; style filiform; stigma obconic. Fruit of two linear, narrow, pendulous follicular mericarps, green, 30-40 cm long; seeds 5-6 mm long, flat, commate at both ends. | |||||||||||||
| Curated Medicinal Use / Activity : | The bark is a bitter, astringent, alterative herb that lowers fevers, relaxes spasms, stimulates lactation and expels intestinal worms. It is anthelmintic, anticholeric, antispasmodic, astringent, emmenagogue, febrifuge, tonic and vulnerary. It is used to treat bowel complaints, abdominal pains, fevers and irregular menstruation, and has proved a valuable remedy for chronic Diarrhea and the advanced stages of dysentery. A decoction is applied as a wash for skin diseases, and as a gargle. he latex obtained from the bark is considered to be powerfully tonic, vermifuge. It has been used for treating neuralgia and toothache. It is also used as an anti-malarial drug. The latex is drunk in small amounts as a poison anti-dote.The leaves are used for treating beriberi, dropsy and congested liver. A poultice made from the leaves has been reported as a good remedy against skin diseases. An infusion of the crushed leaves is used to clean infected wounds | |||||||||||||
| Plant's Phytochemicals : | Echitamine Akuammicine akuammigine Amyrin acetate Betulic acid Betulin Isogentialutine Lupeol acetate Picrinine reserpine Strictamin Tubotaiwine Ursolic acid |
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| Reference : | ~ Prabha Y. Bhogaonkar and Pankaj A. Dhole; "Checklist of Flora of Melghat"; Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director, Melghat Tiger Project, Camp, Amravati
(2018 - 2019); Book PMID : ~ Omesh Bajpai, Jitendra Pandey and Lal Babu Chaudhary; "Ethnomedicinal Uses of Tree Species by Tharu Tribes in the Himalayan Terai Region of India"; Research Journal of Medicinal Plant (2016); 10(1): 19-41 PMID : |
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