Bark
Grey-brown in older branches; young branches may be reddish to reddish-brown and glaucous. Branches are often armed with axillary spines.
Gymnosporia senegalensis
Syn. Maytenus senegalensis
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Red Spike Thorn (English)
- Henkal (Marathi)
Shrub type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Celastraceae
2m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
The leaves are alternate and evergreen, contour-oval or diamond-shaped oblong, whole or toothed. Leaves of young plants are bronze-coloured., appreciated for their ornamental purpose.
Flower
Flowers in axillary branched cymes.
Fruit / Seeds
The fruits are large capsules, globe-shaped with two cavities in its interior where we find the seeds of brown, introducing a small fleshy ring around the base.
Did you know?
In parts of tropical Africa, crushed leaves have traditionally been added to slow-moving or stagnant water to temporarily stupefy fish, making them easier to collect. This ethnobotanical practice is associated with naturally occurring plant compounds such as saponins and tannins.
Distribution
SE. Spain, Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Iran to India