Persea macrantha (Nees) Kosterm.
| Kannada Name : | Gulimaavu, Chittu thandri |
| Common Name : | Large-flowered bay tree |
| Family Name : | Lauraceae |
| Scientific Name : | Persea macrantha |
| Species Type : | Endemic |
| Phenology : | Evergreen |
| Conservation Status : | Not known |
| Flowering Period : | December - May |
| Fruiting Period : | December - May |
| Origin : | Western Ghats, Sri Lanka |
Uses
The leaf as well as bark are used extensively by folklore practitioners in treating various ailments such as rheumatism, asthma, ulcer, bruise, mental upset, fractures, swellings, weakness and debility.
Description
Evergreen trees, up to 30 m tall. Bark pale brown, mottles with dark blotches, thinly scaly, blaze pinkish. Leaves simple, alternate, clustered at the tip of brachlets, obovate or elliptic to elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, glabrous, glaucous beneath, base acute to rounded, apex rounded or acuminate or acute, margin entire, aromatic when crushed. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary panicle. Flowers bisexual, pale yellow. Fruit a berry, globose, up to 2 cm across, aromatic, green with white specs, red to black when ripe. Seed 1, globose.
