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Medicinal Plant details |
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Information |
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| Sanskrit Name |
Bhabya
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| Common name in English |
Hondapara Tree, Chulta, Elephant Apple
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| Botanical Name |
Dillenia indica L. |
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| Etymology |
The fruits of Dillenia indica are dispersed by wild elephants, hence the name elephant apple. |
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| Historical Accounts |
"Tree of the "Patacas"To acclimatise the spices that came from Eastern India: with this in mind, in 13 of June ,1808, the Garden of Acclimatisation was created by D. John, Prince Regent at the time, and later D. John VI. With the threat of the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops in Portugal, the Portuguese nobility moved to Brazil and installed the headquarters of the government in Rio De Janeiro. Among others benefits, the city gained a Powder Plant, constructed in the old Sugar Cane Mill of Rodrigo de Freitas. Startled by the exuberance of the nature of the place, D. John installed the Garden there which in 11 of October of the same year, became The Royal Gardens. The first plants had been brought from Gabrielle Garden, in the Mauritius Islands, by Luiz de Abreu Vieira e Silva, who offered them to the Prince.Among them,ther was probably the first unit of this tree, the Dillenia Indica, popularly known in Brazil by the name of "Tree of the Patacas". This name appeared due to a particularity of the fruit of this tree; in the majority of the plants, the fruit develops from the centre of the flower, with the dillenia, the extremities of the flower close on itself for the formation of the fruit and for this reason, any object that is put in the flower ends up being in the inside of the fruit. There is a legend that tells that Dom Peter I affixed some silver coins used at that time(called patacas) to some flowers, and after the fruit was formed, sent them in a box to Portugal with the following note: " In this country money grows on trees"Later, some people made the same and used this trick to amuse guests." (http://www.fazendasantagertrudes.com.br/tour03_dir.html) |
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| Parts Used |
Fruit, Leaves, Bark |
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| Human Medicinal Usage |
Paste is made from young leaves and applied as paste in swelling and wounds. Stem bark is also pounded and applied as paste for this purpose and for sexually transmitted diseases (Rai Chaudhuri, 1968; Shome et al., 1979, 1980). The plant is considered with some special qualities like healing wound in Ayurveda (Sonare, 1994).
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| Agriculture Usage |
The stored grains are covered by a 2 to 3 inch high layer of rice husk and a few Ou-tenga (Dillenia indica) fruits to prevent the attack of storage pests.
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| Other Usage |
Tribal people use its leaves as cups or plates, its wood is considered for firewood and the unripe fruits are cooked to make pickles, curries and chutney. Ripe fruits are eaten raw or cooked and it is also used to prepare desserts in Panama. Flowers and leaves are used for ornamentation.
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| Synonyms |
Dillenia speciosa Thunb. |
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| Family |
Dilleniaceae |
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| Description |
A much branched, spreading tree 6-8 m high. Leaves: up to 30 cm long, oblong or obovate, toothed, shiny dark green above, light green beneath; veins many, conspicuous, parallel. Flowers: solitary, large, up to 22 cm in diam., white; calyx persistent. Fruit: 12-15 cm in diam., greenish yellow, surmounted by the persistent slender spreading rays of the stigma, many-seeded
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| Common Name in India |
Chalita, Oulenga (Assam); Chalta (Bengali,.Hindi); Karambel, Karmal (Gujarati, Marathi); Bettakanegala (Kannada); Chatata, Punna (Malayalam); Uva (Tamil); Pedda Kalinga, Ura (Telugu) |
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| Habitat |
Grows in deciduous forests and open lands.
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| Rainfall |
The plant prefers an annual rainfall of 75-150 cm.
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| Soil (Physical/Chemical) |
It can grow in many types of soils, but prefers acidic sandy loam, rich moist soils. |
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| Regional Distribution |
It inhabits in various part of India.
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| Chemical composition |
New pentacyclic triterpene lactone are isolated from the plant viz. 3beta- hydroxylupan 13 beta, 28- olide-in addition to betulin aldehyde, betulin, lupeol, sitosterol, betulinic acid and myricetin. Chemical analysis of the stem bark shows 3',5' -dihydroxy- 4',3- dimethoxyflavone -7-O-beta-D-glucopyranside, 4, 5, 7, 3', 4' pentahydroxyflavone -3-O-beta-D- glucopyranside,5,7- dihyroxy-4' -methoxyflavone 3 O-beta-D-glucopyranside and 1,8 - dhiydroxy -2-methlanthraquinone -3-O-beta-D-glucopyranside.
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| Herbarium No |
0 |
| REFERENCES |
| SR No. |
NAME |
ARTICLE TITLE |
AUTHOR |
PLACE OF PUBLICATION |
VOLUME/ISSUE |
YEAR |
PUBLISHER |
COMMENT |
| 1 |
BullBot SocBengal. |
Pharmacognostic studies on the stem bark of Dillenia indica L. |
Rai Chaudhuri, HN. |
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22(1): 55-58. |
1968. |
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| 2 |
Proc Ind Acad Sci. |
Pharmacognostic studies on Dillenia indica L. leaf, I; Pharmacognostic studies on Dillenia indica L., II - Fruit and seed. |
Shome, U, Khanna, RK, Sharma, HP. |
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88: 36-48 & 89(2): 91-104. |
1979-1980 |
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| 3 |
Sachitra Ayurved. |
Konkan ki buti: bhavyam. |
Sonare, CB. |
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46(10): 751-754. |
1994. |
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