Common name: Ceylon Iron Wood, milk tree, wedge-leaved ape flower • Hindi: दृढ़ drirh, खिरनी khirni, क्षीरी kshiri, रायन rayan • Marathi: करणी karani, खिरणी khirni, राजण rajana, रांजण ranjana, रायण rayan, रायणी rayani • Tamil: உலக்கைப்பாலை ulakkai-p-palai • Malayalam: കൃണി krini, പഴമുന്പാല pazhamunpaala • Telugu: అంకాలు ankalu, నందివృక్షము nandivriqshamu, పాలచెట్టు palachettu • Kannada: bakula • Bengali: krikhiyur • Konkani: कर्णी karni, रांजण ranjana • Gujarati: ખિર્ની khirni, રાયન rayan • Sanskrit: क्षीरिणी kshirini, निम्बबिज nimbabija, राजादन rajadana
Botanical name: Manilkara hexandra Family: Sapotaceae (Mahua family)
Synonyms: Mimusops hexandra
Ceylon Iron Wood is a tree or a shrub, 3-12 m tall, with gray bark and
smooth branchlets. Alternately arranged leaves are often closely clustered
towards the end of branchlets, with conspicuous scars. Leaf-stalks are
0.8-2 cm. Leaf blade is obovate to obovate-elliptic, 5-10 x 3-7 cm, both
surfaces smooth, base broadly wedge-shaped to obtuse. Flowers areise in
fascicles in leaf axils. Pedicel is thick, 1-1.8 cm. Sepals are ovate-
triangular, 3-4 mm, yellowish gray velvety. Flowers are white or light
yellow, about 4 mm. Petals are oblong, about 3 mm. Berry is obovoid-oblong
to ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm, 1- or 2-seeded. Seeds about 1 cm.
Flowering: August-December.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke
| Photographed at Vaghbil, Thane, Maharashtra. |
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