Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Muell.Arg.
| Kannada Name : | Kumkumada mara, Hulichendu |
| Common Name : | Kamala tree, Kumkuma tree |
| Family Name : | Euphorbiaceae |
| Scientific Name : | Mallotus philippensis |
| Species Type : | Exotic |
| Phenology : | Evergreen |
| Conservation Status : | Not known |
| Flowering Period : | March - April |
| Fruiting Period : | July - August |
| Origin : | South Asia, Afghanistan, Australia |
Uses
Kamala powder is used as anthelmintic. All parts of the tree can be applied externally to treat parasitic infections of the skin. The powdered fruits are used to treat skin diseases.
Description
Small or medium-sized, evergreen, dioecious tree, up to 25 m tall. Bark dark grey, thin, wood white. Branchlets, young leaves and inflorescence rusty pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate or subopposite, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, glabrous above, greyish pubescent to fulvous tomentose with minute red glands beneath, coriaceous, base acute or round, apex acuminate or acute, margin entire or sparsely serrate. Inflorescences terminal, spicate or racemose. Flowers rusty red. Male flowers 4.5 mm across; female flowers 4 mm across. Fruit a capsule, 7-8 mm across, globose, 3-lobed, densely red-glandular, pubescent. Seeds 1-4, globose, glabrous, black.
