Description
A handsome Indian evergreen tree often planted as an ornamental for its fragrant white flowers that yield a perfume; source of very heavy hardwood used for railroad ties. In olden time, the very hard timber was used for making lances. It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree up to 13 m tall, often buttressed at the base with a trunk up to 90 cm in diameter. It has simple, narrow, oblong, dark green leaves 7-15 cm long, with a whitish underside; the emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping. The flowers are 4-7.5 cm diameter, with four white petals and a centre of numerous yellow stamens. The flowers have many uses – they are used to make an incense and also used to stuff pillows in some countries. It is the National tree of Sri Lanka.
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Tamil | Hindi | Malayalam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesua ferrea | Cobra saffron | சிறுநாகப்பூ | नागेसर / Nagesar | നാഗകേസരം / Nagakesaram |
