Statue of Unity – Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat Rain Forest Ektanagar

Premna serratifolia

Syn. Premna obtusifolia

IUCN Red List Least Concern (LC)

Local name

  • Headache Tree (English)
  • Agetha (Hindi)
  • Moti Arani (Gujarati)

Shrub type

Evergreen Deciduous
Family: Lamiaceae
8m

Indicated uses

Medicinal Edible Ornamental Avenue Other

Flowering & fruiting

Flowering Fruiting

Key characters

Premna serratifolia bark

Bark

Bark is grayish brown, branches and branchlets bluntly four-edged, slightly velvet-hairy and hairless when mature.

Premna serratifolia leaves

Leaves

Leaves are simple opposite, oblong-ovate or ovate-elliptic, 6-18 x 3-6.5 cm across, base rounded or blunt, margins entire.

Premna serratifolia flower

Flower

Flowers are borne at branch-ends, in corymbs, symmetrically branched, composed of 4-8 decussate opposite cymes, velvet-hairy, about 4-11 x 5-16 cm across.

Premna serratifolia fruit / seeds

Fruit / Seeds

Fruit is fleshy, almost spherical, 2-3 mm in diameter, green and purplish black when ripe, fruiting sepal-cup saucer shaped, membranous.

Premna serratifolia

Did you know?

The species name serratifolia comes from Latin, meaning “serrated-leaf,” referencing the slightly toothed or notched margins found on the foliage of certain variations.

Distribution

World map showing distribution

E. Africa, W. Indian Ocean, Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Pacific