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Indian Pavetta
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Indian Pavetta
ative elliptic Photo: Surajit Koley
Common name: Indian Pavetta, White Pavetta, Indian Pellet Shrub • Assamese: Gobor hitha, Sam-suku • Bengali: Jui, কাংকরা Kankra • Garo: Khamkhathek • Hindi: कांकरा Kankara, काठचम्पा Kathachampa • Kannada: ಪಾವಟೆ Pavate, ಪಾಪಟೆ Papate • Khasi: Dieng-long-thorn, Dieng-pait-parao, Dieng-soh-sim • Manipuri: ꯀꯨꯀꯨꯔꯆꯨꯔꯥ Kukurchura • Marathi: Papat • Nepali: Kange, कंगियो फूल Kangiyo phool, तकली Taklee • Oriya: Paniphingi • Tamil: Kattukkaranai, Karanai • Malayalam: Mallikamutti • Telugu: Papidi • Sanskrit: Kakachdi
Botanical name: Pavetta indica    Family: Rubiaceae (Coffee family)
Synonyms: Pavetta alba, Pavetta obtusa, Ixora indica

Indian Pavetta is an erect, nearly smooth or somewhat hairy shrub 2 to 4 meters or more in height. The leaves are elliptic-oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, 6-15 cm long, and pointed at both ends. The flowers are white, rather fragrant, and borne in considerable numbers in hairy terminal panicles which are 6-10 cm long. The sepals are very small, and toothed. The flower-tube is slender and about 1.5 cm long, with obtuse petals about half the length of the tube. The flowers attract butterflies and insects. The fruit is black when dry, somewhat rounded, and about 6 mm in diameter.
Medicinal uses: The bark, in decoction, or pulverized, is administered, especially to children, to correct visceral obstructions. The decocted leaves are used externally to alleviate the pains caused by haemorrhoids. The root, pulverized and mixed with the ginger and rice-water, is given in dropsy. A local fomentation with the leaves is useful in relieving the pain of piles.

Identification credit: Surajit Koley Photographed in Hoogly, West Bengal.

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