Cleistanthus collinus - Oddan thazhai

❏ Binomial Name : Cleistanthus collinus (Roxb.) Benth. ex Hook.f.

❏ Synonym : Amanoa collina,Clutia collina,Emblica palasis,Lebidieropsis orbiculata

❏ Family : Phyllanthaceae

❏ Tamil Name : Odaichi, Nilaippalai, Odan, Odishi

❏ Hindi Name : Garari, Garrar

❏ IUCN status: Vulnerable

Cleistanthus collinus Botanical Description

Deciduous trees, to 15 m high; bark dark brown, nearly black, rough, flaking off in rounded thick scales, blaze red; branchlets, terete. Leaves simple, alternate, distichous; stipules lateral, 2-3 m long, linear; petiole 3-10 mm long, puberulous to glabrous, slender; lamina 3-11.5 x 1.5-8 cm, elliptic, suborbicular, obovate or acute, apex round, retuse or apiculate, margin entire, glabrous, glaucous beneath, chartaceous; lateral nerves 4-8 pairs, pinnate, slender, prominent, intercostae reticulate, prominent. Flowers unisexual, yellowish-green, in glomerules borne on main leafy branches and short lateral branchlets; the male 3-5 flowered; females upto 3 flowers; bracts 1.5-2 mm long, subulate; male flowers: pedicels 1-2 mm long, puberulous, calyx tube shortly obconic, lobes 5, occasionally 6, 3-4 x 1-2 mm, triangular-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, adpressed fulvous pilose outside; petals 5, linear; disc annular, shallowly lobed, glabrous; staminal column ca.1.5 mm; anthers oblong; pistillode ovoid; female flowers: pedicel 0.5 mm long, grey-pilose; calyx tube obconic, ca.1 mm long; sepals 4-5 x 1-3 mm, triangular-lanceolate, scattered grey-pilose outside; petals ca. 2 x 1 mm, subulate; disc shortly cupular-annular; ovary superior, 2-2.5 x 2-3 mm, subglobose, glabrous; styles 3-4 mm long, almost free or basal column ca.1.5 mm long, shortly to deeply bifid above, recurved. Fruit a capsule, 18-22 x 17-22 mm, subglobose or wide oblong, truncate at apex, shallowly 3 lobed and 3-angled, glossy, glabrous, black or dark brown when dry; seeds 3, globose, black; pedicels 0.5-1.5 mm long. Fl. &Fr.: December-November.

Cleistanthus collinus Medicinal uses

❀ All the parts of Cleistanthus collinus are extremely poisonous.

❀ Stem bark paste is applied on sores of cattle

❀ Green leaves one evenly sprayed on the land before ploughing'and sowing rice to act as a pesticide

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