Author: Mystique

Gnetum ula Brongn. (GNETACEAE)

Common names
Tulu: Nokate.
Tamil: Ana-pendu.

Description: A sizable, persistent, sturdy climber characterized by thick, brown, rough bark with a scaly texture. The branchlets are slender, with thickened nodes. Leaves opposite, ovate-oblong or elliptic, 7-18 x 4-10 cm, obtuse or shortly apiculate at base, acute to acuminate at apex, longitudinally wrinkled when dry; main nerves 6-8 pairs; petioles ca 2 cm long. Flowers monoecious, whorled in the axils of cupular bracts in panicled spikes; bracts of the male flowers closely imbricate, those of the female interrupted. Perianth narrowly clavate, entire or valvately 2-fid in female flowers. Male flowers: staminal column adnate to the base of the perianth, apex exserted; anthers of 2 distinct cells, sessile. Female flowers: ovule ovoid or globose; styliform tube exserted; stigma 3-fid. Fruit a drupe, in spikes of 8-25 cm long, olive shaped or ellipsoid, 2.5 – 4.0 cm long, reddish-orange when ripe, obtuse at the apex, pulp intermixed with many tender spicules. Seed solitary, ellipsoid, hard

Flowering & Fruiting: December – June.

Distribution: India: W. Peninsula, Sikkim, Assam, Andaman Islands. Common in evergreen forests, up to 1500 m. Malaya peninsula, Archipelago, China Seeds are roasted and eaten.

Gmelina arborea Roxb. (VERBENACEAE)

Common names
Sanskrit: Gumbhari, Kaashmariya
Kannada: Shivani Gumadi, Kumalamaram.
Malayalam: Kumbil.
Telugu: Gummadi, Gumar tek.

Description: Deciduous trees, ranging from 10 to 20 meters in height, feature greyish-yellow bark, with branchlets and young parts covered in a fine white mealy pubescence. Leaves opposite, broadly ovate, 10-22 x 7-15 cm, subcordate or truncate at base, acuminate at apex, glabrous above when mature, stellately fulvous – tomentose beneath; petioles 5-8 cm long. Flowers in 10-25 cm long axillary or terminal paniculate cymes, brownish-yellow. Calyx companulate, tomentose without, lobes 5. Corolla, densely hairy outside, lobes 5, brownish-yellow. Stamens 4, didynamous, inserted; filaments long. Ovary 4-locular; style long; stigma subulate. Fruit a drupe, obovate, ovoid or pyriform, ca 2.5 cm long, smooth, orange-yellow when ripe. Seeds oblong

Flowering & Fruiting: January – May.

Distribution: India: Throughout in the deciduous forests and hills, up to 1700 m. Sri Lanka, Malaya and Philippine Islands Wood yellowish to reddish white when first exposed, aging to light russet or yellowish brown, light to moderately heavy, hard, strong, elastic, lustrous with a smooth feel, durable in contact with water. One of the best and most reliable timber of India, used for furniture, planking, venetian-blinds, light cooperage, carriages, printing blocks, carving, musical instruments, shafts, axles, lacquered boxes, picture-frames, artificial limbs, jute bobbins, loom parts, calipers, mine props, etc. It is also employed for bridges, well work and ship building. The wood is suitable for tea-chest plywood, paper making, match sticks and matchboxes. Leaves good fodder for cattle. Plant antidote for snakebite and scorpion sting; root galactogogue, demulcent, tonic, stomachic, laxative, antibilious, used in anasarca; bark used in headache; root and bark febrifuge; leaf demulcent, bechic, used in gonorrhoea and for removing fetid discharges and worms from ulcers; fruit enters into cooling decoctions, used in fevers and bilious affections. Leaf is an ingredient of “Dasamula”.

Glochidion johnstonei Hook. f. (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Description: The trees can reach heights of up to 12 meters, with tomentose branchlets. The leaves are arranged alternately, oblong, elliptic-oblong, or ovate-elliptic in shape, nearly equal and rounded at the base, broadly acute at the apex, and exhibit a pubescent underside, turning dark brown when dry. Flowers in axillary clusters; male flowers pedicelled, female sessile. Perianth 5-6 in male, 4-6-lobed or toothed in female. Anthers 3, connate by their connectives in a column. Ovary hairy; style depressed-subglobose. Capsules depressed-globose, pubescent, crowned by the persistent hairy style.

Flowering & Fruiting: November – May.

Distribution: India: In moist forests of Western Ghats and West Coast. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. Endemic.

Glochidion ellipticum Wight (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Description: Trees, up to 10 m tall; branchlets glabrous. Leaves alternate, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, up to 14 x 4.5 cm, unequal at base, acuminate at both ends, turning black when dry. Flowers in axillary clusters; male flowers pedicelled, female sessile. Perianth lobes 6. Three stamens are fused into a column by their connectives. The ovary has five locules and is densely hairy, while the style is conical. The capsules are depressed globes, measuring approximately 1 cm across.

Flowering & Fruiting: September- March

Distribution: India: In evergreen forests of Western Ghats, up to 1200 m. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Endemic.

Garcinia xanthochymus Hook. F. ex T. Anderson(GUTTIFERAE)

Common names
English: Mysore Gamboge.
Kannada: Jarige, Devagarige (Konakni : Dhanambe).
Malayalam: Anavya.

Description: Trees, up to 20 m tall with a beautiful dense pyramidal crown; branches patent, ends dropping, 6-8- angular; bark blackish or dark grey, exfoliating in small round flakes, exuding gum; latex milky or pale green, turning yellow on exposure. Leaves linear – oblong or oblong – lanceolate, 12-45×4-12 cm, cuneate at base, acute to acuminate at apex, coriaceous, dark green, shiny; lateral veins 15-20 pairs, distinct, subparallel; petioles 1-2.5 cm long, stout. Stipules fleshy, adnate, intrapetiolar. Flowers small, in axillary or from the axils of fallen leaves fasciles of 4-10 flowers, white or cream-coloured. Sepals 5, rarely 4, unequal, orbicular, fleshy, persistent. Petals 5, thin. Male flowers: Stamens 15-20 in 5 broad bundles of 3-5 each; rudimentary pistil absent. Female flowers: Staminodes few, in an interrupted ring. The ovary is 5-locular with 5 stigmas. The fruit is a subglobose berry, reaching a diameter of up to 6.5 cm, displaying a dark yellow color with plentiful yellow gum. The seeds, numbering 1-4, are oblong and can measure up to 3.5×1.8 cm, appearing brown.

Flowering & Fruiting: Throughout the year.

Distribution: India: In evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and in the lower hill forests up to 1400 m. Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Orissa, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.Bangladesh, China, Malaya Peninsula, Myanmar and Thailand. Sometimes cultivated.

Uses: The fruit has a juicy pulp with a pleasant acrid flavour. It is made into preserves and jams. It can be used in place of tamarind for curries and in the preparation of vinegar. The exudation from the under-ripe fruit, which is yellow in colour, and the bark are used in Assam for dyeing. Fruit cathartic, used in abdominal disorders, vomiting, piles, anaemia, fever, giddiness and cardiac diseases; sherbet from dried fruits is used in biliousness.

Garcinia morella (Gaertner) Desr. (GUTTIFERAE)

Common names
English: Mysore Gamboge tree, Indian Gamboge tree.
Kannada: Ardala or Hardala, Devanahuli.
Malayalam: Chingiri, Daramba.

Description: Trees, up to 17 m tall with spreading branches and dense crown; branchlets quadrangular; bark brownish-grey or brown to dark brown, exuding brilliant, dark yellow, sticky, thick latex. Leaves elliptic, ovate, obovate or oblanceolate, 10-16×4-9 cm, acute or cuneate at base, obtuse or shortly obtuse-acuminate at apex; lateral veins slender, obliquely parallel; petioles 8-10 mm long. Male flowers ca 3 in axillary, leafy fascicles or on old wood, faintly fragrant. Sepals 4, greenish white. Petals 4, white to pink. Stamens numerous (25-40) in a central, subglobose mass; anthers red. Rudimentary pistil absent. Female flowers solitary, axillary, equal to or larger than male flowers. Sepals persistent. Staminodes 10-12, connate at base into a ring round the ovary. Ovary 4-locular; stigmas yellow, turning brown-red, persistent. The fruit is a berry, either subglobose or globose, measuring 2-3 cm in diameter. It is smooth, sessile, and exhibits a yellowish color, containing yellow gamboges. The pulp is both sweet and acidic. The seeds, numbering 4, are kidney-shaped and dark brown with a muricate texture.

Flowering & Fruiting: November-July, fruits persist till December

Distribution: India: In evergreen, moist and dry deciduous forests from plains up to 1000 m. North-east India and Western Ghats. Meghalaya, Assam, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Malacca.

Uses:

• The seed oil, also known as ‘butter,’ finds application in cooking and confectionery, serving as a substitute for ghee. Additionally, it is utilized in the production of candles. Wood greyish yellow, very hard, used for cabinet work and temporary structures. It yields a beautiful pigment after attaining 20 years of age. This is the indigenous source of ‘gamboge’ The pigment is used in preparing water colours and golden-coloured spirit varnishes for metals and for dyeing silk fabrics.
• A golden yellow ink is also made for writing on black paper. The fruit rind is used in tanning. Gum-resin anthelmintic, hydragogue, cathartic, used in dropsy, splenic disorders, pain, wounds, amenorrhoea, obstinate constipation and cerebral congestion when rapid lowering of blood pressure is desired.

Garcinia indica (Thouars) Choisy (GUTTIFERAE)

Common names
English: Mangoseteen, Red mango, Kokam butter tree.
Kannada: Murgal Punarpuli.

Description: Tree, up to 15 m tall with conical crown; usually buttressed at base; bark light brown, very thin, smooth; branchlets often drooping. Leaves lanceolate or obovate – oblong, 6.5 -11×1.5 – 5 cm, contracted into petiole at base, acute or acuminate at apex, margin membranous, shiny; lateral veins 7-18, slender, prominent; petioles 5-12 mm long; young leaves red. Male flowers 4-8 in axillary or terminal fascicles, small, white; bracts scale-like, caducous. Sepals 4, decussate, ovate-rotundate, fleshy, yellowish to pinkish orange. Petals 4. Stamens inserted on a hemispheric subquadrate torus; anthers bilocular. Rudimentary pistil absent or if present as long as stamens. Female flowers usually solitary, terminal. Sepals and petals similar to those of male flowers. Ovary 4-8 loculed. The fruit is a spherical berry, approximately 3 cm in diameter, exhibiting shades of purple, orange, pink, or wine brown. It is encircled at the base by enduring sepals. The pulp is red, characterized by acidity, and has a fleshy texture. The seeds, numbering 5-8, are compressed.

Flowering & Fruiting: November – August

Distribution: In tropical evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Endemic. A threatened species.

Uses:

• The fruit is fit for consumption. The dehydrated outer rind of the fruit is employed, such as in the Konkan area of Maharashtra where it is known as Kokam, to enhance curries with its acidic flavor. Additionally, it is utilized in crafting refreshing syrups, particularly during warmer months. The seeds yield valuable fat known as ‘Kokum butter’ which is used as an edible fat, for adulterating ghee and in the manufacture of soaps and candles.
• The wood is well suited for paper-pulp.The oil-cake left after the extraction of oil is used as manure. Fruit antiscorbutic, cholagogue, antibilious; fruit and bark astringent; oil from seed astringent, demulcent, emolltient and soothing in cutaneous affections, used in pulmonary affections; leaf and oil antidysenteric. Root, bark, fruit and oil are used in piles, sprue, abdominal disorders, cardiac diseases, worm infection and thirst.

Garcinia gummigutta (L.) N. Robson (GUTTIFERAE)

Common names
English: Malabar Camboge.
Kannada: Manthu huli, Uppagi mara.
Malayalam: Kodapuli, Gorakkapuli.

Description: Trees, up to 20 m tall with round canopy; bark grey or dark brown, rugose, exudes yellow gum; branchlets horizontal or drooping. Leaves Trees, up to 20 m tall with round canopy; bark grey or dark brown, rugose, exudes yellow gum; branchlets horizontal or drooping. Leavesoblong, elliptic or lanceloate, 7-15×2-7 cm, cuneate at base, acute to obtusely short acuminate at apex, entire, glossy, dark green; lateral veins indefinite, slender, prominent, oblique; petioles up to 2 cm long, channeled. Male flowers 3-5 in short axillary fascicles, white or pale green. Sepals 4, ovate or obovate, unequal. Petals 4, obovate or oblong. Stamens 12-20 or more inserted on a prominent receptacle; anthers bilocular, basifixed. Rudimentary pistil absent or minute. Bisexual flowers 1-3 in terminal and axillary fascicles, larger than male flowers. Sepals and petals similar to those of male flowers. Stamen 10-20, connate at base in a ring round the ovary or grouped in unequal bundles; anthers bilocular, fertile or often a few sterile. Ovary 8-11- sulcate. The fruit is a spherical berry, reaching up to 7 cm in diameter, with 6-8 grooves and a yellow hue when ripe. It contains 6-8 ovoid seeds, approximately 3 cm across, that are compressed and pale brown, enveloped by a succulent aril in either white or red.

Flowering & Fruiting: January – September.

Distribution: India: Common in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and also in shola forests of Western Ghats up to 1830 m. Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Endemic.

Uses: The fruits are acidic and eaten raw or pickled. The rind is used as a condiment for flavouring curries and as a substitute for tamarind and lime. Wood is suitable for matchboxes, splints and posts.The gum from the fruit makes a good varnish. The ‘gummi-gutta’ or ‘gamboge’ is principally used as a pigment is miniature painting and water colours. The rind of the fruit is used for polishing gold and silver ornaments and as a substitute for acetic and formic acids for coagulation of rubber latex. Fruit is antiseptic; decoction of rind given in rheumatism, bowel complaints; resin used as purgative. Decoction of rind used as mouth wash in cattle.