Bark
Stem is short and crooked, with rough bark with deep longitudinal cuts.
Morinda pubescens
Syn. Morinda tinctoria
IUCN Red List
Not Evaluated
(NE)
Local name
- Indian Mulberry (English)
- Aal (Hindi)
- Dhaula (Marathi)
- Paphanah (Sanskrit)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Rubiaceae
10m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Oppositely arranged leaves are 15-25 cm long, oblong to lance-like.
Flower
White, fragrant, tubular flowers, about 2 cm long, arranged in 3–5 cm-wide heads on 2–3 cm stalks, with 3–7 oblong petals and matching stamens.
Fruit / Seeds
The fruit is a green syncarp, 2-2.5 cm diameter.
Did you know?
Root bark of Morinda pubescens yields Suranji, a natural dye traditionally used to colour cotton, silk and wool in red, brown and purple shades. Its yellow inner wood inspired the Malayalam and Tamil name Manjanathi, derived from manjal, meaning turmeric.
Distribution
Indian Subcontinent to Indo-China, Jawa, Assam, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam