Botanical name: Syzygium lanceolatum (Lam.) Wight & Arn.
Local name: Kattunjaval
Habitat: Evergreen and shola forests
Flowering & fruiting: April to November
Distribution: South India and Sri Lanka
Description: Trees of about 12 m high, the bark are grayish-brown in color. The Leaves are simple and opposite. The Fruit is berry with 10-12 mm long. The leaves are simple, opposite, decussate, petiole is of 0.4-0.6 cm long, slender, canaliculated and glabrous. Many secondary nerves, which are parallel, slender with the presence of intra-marginal nerve The Inflorescence is axillary or terminal cymes and the flowers are white in color with 0.2 cm pedicel. The calyx tube is funnel shaped.
Significance: Syzygium lanceolatum are trees with high medicinal significance. The seed, leaf, bark and fruit are used in traditional medicines and widely used in folk medicine for diabetes. It is also used for digestion disorders including gas, bowel spasms, stomach problems and severe diarrhea. Other traditional medicinal usage includes the treatment for lung problems such as bronchitis and asthma. In combination with other herbs, the seeds are used for constipation, diseases of pancreas, stomach problems, nervous disorders, depression and exhaustion.