Botanical Name

Perseamacrantha 

Family

Lauraceae 

Sanskrit name

Picchila taru

English name

Large-Flowered Bay Tree

Kannada name

Gula Maavu

Habit

Tree

Habitat

Evergreen and semi- evergreen forests of western ghats

Plant Description

It is a tree up to 30 m tall. Bark light brown, blaze pinkish. Branchlets shining. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral, clustered at twig ends, hairy, aromatic when squeeze. Flowers form in terminal, spreading panicles. bisexual, pale yellow. Fruit; berry, spherical, black when ripe.

Threat status

Vulnerable

Distribution

Western Ghats - South, Central and south Maharashtra Sahyadris, and Sri Lanka.

Part Used

Leaf, stem bark

Medicinal use

Joint pain, fracture, ulcer, asthma

Ecological significance

Common mine, Narrow banded bluebottle