37. Polyalthia longifolia, Benth and Hk. f.

The medicinal plant Polyalthia longifolia is a member of the Annonaceae (custard apple) family. This page includes its habitat, botanical descption, medicinal uses (eg., Ayurveda), chemical constituents and history of use in modern and ancient India.

Index in Flora of British India (Hooker): 1. 62.
Roxb 455.

Synonyms:—Gualteria longifolia, Wall.

Vernacular:—Asok; Debdari, Devadaru, Deodar (H). Devdaru; Devada (B). Devdaru (Uriya). Asok, Asoka, Asopular, Asupal (Bomb); Ashopulo (Guj); Devadaru, Asoka, Asokam (Tel) Assothi (Tam); Asoka, putrajiva (Kam); in Ceylon Tamil it is Mara-illupai.

Habitat:—Cultivated throughout India, as an avenue tree in Tanjore and the Western Peninsula. Common in Ceylon and in Bombay Gardens, it is also found as a roadside tree in Bombay, much used in decorations of houses on festive occasions.

Botanical description:—A large erect tree, very handsome with shining wavy-margined leaves on slender long branchlets.

Bark: thick, rather smooth, young parts glabrous.

Wood: yellowish-white, rather soft, medullary rays conspicuous.

Leaves: long, 6-9 in. shortly stalked, oblong or ovate-oblong, very gradually tapering into long attenuate apex, acute or rounded base, finely undulate, glabrous, thin, pellucid-dotted.

Flowers: greenish-yellow in axillary umbels on very short racemes mostly from the old wood, 3-10 or more together.

Pedicels: 1 in. or more long, slender, pubescent, with a hairy bractlet half way up.

Sepals: ovate-triangular, obtuse, tomentose.

Petals: ½ in. or more, lanceolate, linear, tapering, undulate, pubescent, the inner rather broader.

Carpels: about ovoid, 1 in. long, glabrous, on stalks ½ in. long..

Medicinal uses:— It is used as a febrifuge in the Balasore District of Orissa (Sir W. W.. Hunter).