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.
