Category: Uses and benefits

Cerbera odollam Gaertner (APOCYNACEAE)

Common names
Kannada: Chindae mara, Hondae.
Malayalam: Utalam.
Tamil: Kadama, Kat arali.

Description: Small glabrous trees, 10-12 m tall with acrid milky poisonous juice; grey, soft bark. Leaves alternate, lanceolate, oblanceolate or oblong-obovate, 12-25 x 4-12 cm, suddenly acuminate, much tapering to the base, glabrous, bright green, black when dry; main nerves numerous; petioles 2-4 cm long. Flowers large in terminal peduncled paniculte cymes, white with yellow throat, odorous. Calyx glabrous, lobes 5. Corolla tube funnel-shaped, lobes 5, white. Stamens 5, small, included. Disc 0. Ovary 2-locular; style filiform; stigma ovoid. The fruit is a drupe, either round or elliptical, measuring 5 to 10 centimeters in length, smooth-textured, and green in color. It contains a single seed that is broad and compressed.

Flowering & Fruiting: June – January.

Distribution: India: Throughout in E. Coast and W. Coast in salt swamps and back waters. Sri Lanka, Malay Archipelago, China, Australia and Islands of Pacific.

Uses: Plant abortifacient, used in the treatment of hydrophobia; bark purgative; seed narcotic and poisonous.

Careya arborea Roxb. (LECYTHIDACEAE)

Common names
Kannada: Daddala, Kavalu mara.
Tulu: Daddala.
Malayalam: Perzha.
Tamil: Ayma, Kumbi.
Telugu: Gadava.

Description: Deciduous trees up to 10 m tall. Leaves alternate, crowded at the ends of branches, obovate, up to 22 x 15 cm, cuneate at base, rounded or shortly acuminate at apex, margins crenate. Flowers in spikes, sessile, large, showy, ca 5 cm across, yellowish white. Calyx 4-lobed, lobes ovate. Petals 4, elliptic-oblong, up to 5 cm long. Stamens very numerous in several rows, slightly connate at base; filaments very long, innermost and outermost often without anthers. The ovary is positioned as inferior, topped by a ring-shaped disc. The large berries are spherical, reaching sizes of up to 6.5 centimeters across, green in color, and adorned with the enduring lobes of the calyx. Inside, numerous seeds are surrounded by a fleshy pulp.

Flowering & Fruiting: March – July.

Distribution: India: Almost throughout. Sri Lanka.

Uses: Wood used for agricultural implements, cabinets, gunstocks, house posts and planks, hoops etc. Bark is fibrous and can be used for making coarse cordage. It has been used in odanance depots as a substitute for English beech in fuses. Root and bark used in diseases of vata and kapha; bark and fruit astringent, demulcent, antidote for snakebite; leaves used for ulcers; a decoction of fruits given to promote digestion.

Calamus vattayila Renuka (PALMAE)

Common names
Kannada: Devara betha.
Malayalam: Ottaman, Vattayilayan.
Tamil: Maniperambu.

Description: Solitary, high climbing canes, stem up to 30 m long. Leaves up to 1 m long; ecirrate; petioles up to 25 cm long, spiny; rachis with 3 rows of claw-like spines; sheath dark green, sparingly spiny, spines up to 2 cm long; knee conspicuous; ocrea small, 5 mm long; flagellum ca 4 m long; leaflets alternate, elliptic, ca 40 x 10 cm, 6-veined, tip with short bristles. The female inflorescence can grow up to 1 meter in length. The fruits are oblong, measuring around 2.5 by 0.8 centimeters, featuring scales arranged in 27 rows. These scales are longer than they are wide, not channeled, and are chestnut brown. Inside the fruit, the endosperm displays a ruminate structure.

Flowering : September – October.
Fruiting : April – May.

Distribution: India: In evergreen forests of Western Ghats between 200 -750 m. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Endemic.

Uses: A good quality cane used in furniture industry. It however is in short supply.

Calamus travancoricus Beddome ex Becc. & Hook. f. (PALMAE)

Common names
Kannada: Kiri betha.
Malayalam: Arichural.

Description: Clustering, very slender, high climbing canes; stems to 15 m or more in length. Leaves up to 45 cm long, ecirrate; petioles up to 11 cm long, spiny; rachis with claw-like spines; sheath green, spiny, spines ca 5 mm long, mouth of sheath withca 1 cm long spines; knee small; ocrea papery, 1.5 cm long; flagellum up to 1.3 m long; leaflets in groups of 3-5, narrowly oblanceolate, up to 25 x 2 cm. Male inflorescence up to 1 m long; female inflorescence up to 40 cm long. The fruits are round, approximately 1 centimeter in diameter. They have scales arranged in 24 rows, displaying a pale yellow color with dark brown borders. Inside, the endosperm shows a ruminate structure.

Flowering : October– December.
Fruiting : April – July.

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

Uses: Used in furniture industry and handicrafts.

Calamus thwaitesii Becc. & Hook. f. (PALMAE)
= C. thwaitesii Becc. var. canarana Becc.

Common names
Kannada: Hanid betha.
Malayalam: Pannichural, Vandichural, Thatiyanchural.
Tamil: Thadiperambu.

Description: Vigorous, grouped in clusters, and capable of climbing to considerable heights, the stems can reach lengths of up to 20 meters or even more. Leaves up to 3 m long, ecirrate; petioles up to 35 cm long, yellowish, spiny; rachis yellowish, spiny; leaf sheath yellow, densely spiny, spines arising from a raised, rim-like surface, flat, up to 3 x 0.7 cm, black with yellow base; knee and ocrea absent; flagellum up to 9 m long; leaflets irregularly distributed or in groups of 2 or 3-linear-lanceolate, up to 80 x 45 cm with bristles along margins and upper side of midvein. Inflorescence up to 6 m long, flagellate; flowers in male distichous. Fruits ovoid, beaked, ca 2 x 1.3 cm; scales in 12 vertical rows, channeled along the middle, yellow with deep brown margins. Endosperm not ruminate.

Flowering : November – January.
Fruiting : February – May.

Distribution: India: Almost throughout Western Ghats in evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest up to 900 m. Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Sri Lanka.

Uses: Because of its bigger girth, strength and other qualities it is being used for making legs of chairs, tables, cots etc. It is also being used for construction of suspension bridges and for making walking-sticks, lathis, tool handles etc.

Calamus pseudotenuis Becc. & Hook. f. (PALMAE)

Common name
Tamil: Perumperambu.

Description: Clustering, high climbing canes; stem 5-7 m long. Leaves up to 1.6 m long, ecirrate; petioles up to 22 cm long spiny; rachis spiny; sheath yellowish green, brown tomentose, densely spiny, spines up to 3.5 cm long, yellow, intermingled with thin smaller spines, mouth of sheath with longer spines; knee sometimes present; ocrea large, ca 10 cm long; flagellum up to 3 m long; leaflets more or less equidistant, linear-lanceolate, ca 50 x 2.5 cm, apex usually bristly-penicillate, 3-veined. Male inflorescence ca 3 m long, branching to 3 orders; female inflorescence ca 3 m long, branching to 2 orders. The fruits are somewhat ovoid, measuring around 1.5 by 0.8 centimeters. They feature scales arranged in 18 rows, displaying a greenish-yellow color with dark brown edges. Inside, the endosperm exhibits a ruminate structure.

Flowering : October- February and July.
Fruiting : April – June and October – November.

Distribution: India: In evergreen forests of Western Ghats, usually above 750 m. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Sri Lanka.

Uses: Used in furniture industry and basket-making.

Calamus prasinus Lakshmana & Renuka (PALMAE)

Common name
Kannada: Onti betha.

Description: Solitary, high climbing canes; stems to 30 m long. Leaves up to 2.5 m long, ecirrate, petioles up to 30 cm long, armed with small prickles, underneath of petioles and underneath of rachis armed with recurved spines; petioles and rachis exude milky juice when cut; sheath pale green, densely spiny, spines up to 1 cm long; knee conspicuous; leaflets more or less equidistant, ca 50 x 2.5 cm, 3-veined, terminal pair united basally. Inflorescence long, pendulous. The fruits are spherical in shape with scales arranged in 26 rows, showcasing a yellow hue and deeply grooved along the center. Inside, the endosperm presents a ruminate structure.

Flowering : November – December.
Fruiting : May – June.

Distribution: India: Evergreen forests of Western Ghats at about 530 m. Karnataka. Endemic.

Uses: A good quality cane used in cane industry.

Calamus nagabettai Fernandez & Dey. (PALMAE)

Common name
Kannada: Naga betha.

Description: Robust, clustering, high climbing canes; stems to 25 m or more long. Leaves up to 5 m long, upper ones cirrate, cirrus armed with claws; juvenile leaves brown; petioles up to 45 cm long, spiny; rachis spiny; sheaths yellowish green to green, brown tomentose when young, lower half densely spiny, spines in groups of 2-3, ca 3 x 0.5 cm, intermingled with bristle-like spines, mouth of sheath with up to 4 cm long spines; leaflets more or less equidistant ca 50 x 2 cm, linear-lanceolate, 3-5 veined. Male inflorescence up to 30 cm long; female inflorescence up to 70 cm long. The fruits vary from oblong to ovoid, measuring approximately 1.6 by 0.9 centimeters. They possess scales organized in 15 rows, appearing brown with transparent edges and displaying deep channels along the center. Within, the endosperm displays a ruminate structure.

Flowering : December – January.
Fruiting : May – June.

Distribution: India: In evergreen forests of Western Ghats. Karnataka, Kerala. Endemic.

Uses: A robust hard cane, used for making lathis, walking-sticks and for the frame work of furniture etc. It, however, is in short supply.

Calamus lakshmanae Renuka (PALMAE)

Common name
Kannada: Halu betha.

Description: Clustering, high climbing canes; stems to 20 m or more long, easily breaking. Leaves up to 1.7 m long, ecirrate; petioles up to 22 cm, spiny; sheath yellowish green to green, densely spiny, spines up to 1 cm long, bulbous based, distal younger sheaths with brown markings; knee present; leaflets more or less equidistant, up to 45 x 2 cm, linear – lanceolate, 3-veined, margins spinulose, terminal pair united to more than half their length. Inflorescence long, pendulous. The fruit is oval-shaped, measuring approximately 10 by 7 millimeters. It contains scales arranged in 26 rows, with a channel running through the middle, appearing yellowish brown with brownish-black portions at the base and tip. Inside, the endosperm shows a ruminate structure.

Flowering : November.
Fruiting : May – June.

Distribution: India: Evergreen forests of Western Ghats at lower elevations. Karnataka. Endemic.

Uses: A good cane used in furniture industry.

Calamus karnatakensis Renuka & Lakshmana (PALMAE)

Description: Clustering, high climbing canes; stems to 20 m or more long. Leaves up to 1.5 m long, ecirrate; petioles up to 30 cm long; sheath yellow, lower part greenish brown or greenish yellow, brown tomentose when young, densely spiny, spines ca 2.5 cm long, mouth of sheath with spines up to 4 cm long; knee conspicuous; ocrea up to 6 cm long, with small spines; leaflets more or less equidistant, ca 50 x 2.5 cm, 3-veined, veins and margins spinulose, terminal pair united basally. Inflorescence long, long flagellate. The fruits are roughly 8 mm in diameter and globose. They feature scales organized in 19 rows, with a yellow hue and chestnut brown margins, turning a light violet color when ripe. The endosperm is non-ruminate.

Flowering : December – January.
Fruiting : April – May.

Distribution: India: In evergreen forests of Western Ghats between 530 – 1200 m. Karnataka. Endemic.

Uses: Used in furniture industry.