Systematic Classification:
Division : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledons
Family : Rubiaceae
Genus : Ochreinauclea
Species : missionisCommon Name:
Aatuvanchi, Neervanchi
General Information:
Evergreen trees up to 25 m tall.Bark greyish-brown, smooth; blaze reddish.Young branchlets slightly angular, terete when mature, glabrous.Leaves simple, opposite, decussate; stipules interpetiolar, caducous and leaving scar; petioles ca. 1 cm long, planoconvex in cross section, glabrous; lamina 8.5-16 x 3-6 cm, lanceoalte, elliptic or obovate, apex acute to obtuse, base attenuate or decurrent, margin entire, chartaceous, glabrous beneath; midrib flat above; secondary nerves 10-13 pairs; tertiary nerves broadly reticulate.Inflorescence globose head, terminal; flowers sessile, yellowish white.Fruit& seed 2-celled pyrenes in globose mass, fleshy; seeds ovoid, few in each cell.
Economic Importance:
- Stem-bark antileprotic, antirheumatic, in constipation, ulcers; root, root bark antirheumatic, in skin diseases, eye diseases, dropsy, piles, fever, jaundice, oedema and haemophilic disorders.