Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B. Xue & R.M.K. Saunders
| Kannada Name : | Ubbina mara, Kambada mara |
| Common Name : | False Ashoka |
| Family Name : | Annonaceae |
| Scientific Name : | Monoon longifolium |
| Species Type : | Indigenous |
| Phenology : | Evergreen |
| Conservation Status : | Least concern |
| Flowering Period : | March - May |
| Fruiting Period : | July - September |
| Origin : | India and Srilanka |
Uses
The leaves are used for ornamental decoration during festivals. The tree is a focal point in gardens throughout India. The tree can be pruned into various shapes and maintained in required sizes. The flexible, straight and light-weight trunks were used in the making of masts for sailing ships. Its wood is mostly used for manufacturing small articles such as pencils, boxes, matchsticks, etc. The oil of the seed has been confirmed to possess anti-oxidant, anti-lipooxygenase and antimicrobial (against various microbe strains) activities, among others.
Description
Evergreen trees to 20 m tall; trunk straight. Branches finely striate, minutely puberulent when young, soon glabrous. Leaves simple, alternate, ovate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, stiffly membranous to thinly leathery, glabrous, abaxially pale, adaxially dark glossy green, base cuneate, obtuse or rounded, apex acuminate, margin undulate. Inflorescence axillary, fasciculate and shortly pedunculate, racemose, or umbelliform. Flowers bisexual, greenish-yellow. Fruit a berry, globose or ellipsoid. Seed pale brown, ovoid, usually with a longitudinal groove.
