Simarouba glauca DC. | |
Simaroubaceae | |
Sourga Maram | |
| Botanical Name | Simarouba glauca DC. |
| Synonyms | Quassia simarouba. L.; Simarouba amara Aubl. |
| Family | Simaroubaceae |
| Common Name | English: Paradise Tree / Tamil: Sourga Maram |
| Distribution | Global : America, Caribbean, India. Indian : Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. |
| Description | Evergreen and small to medium-sized tree growing up to 15 m in height, with a narrow crown, Light ash to grey bark, cylindrical bole. The leaves are arranged alternately, are odd pinnately compound, with 10-20 leaflets. The leaves are dark green above, lighter below, with an entire margin and rounded leaf tip. Inflorescence panicle cyme. Flowers are arranged in at branch-ends and in leaf-axils, in panicles. The calyx has 5 unfused, greenish sepals. The flower has 5 free yellowish-white overlapping petals. Male flowers have 10 stamens and no ovaries. Female flowers have 10 non-functional stamens and 5 unfused ovaries each with a single locule and seed. Occasionally there are perfect flowers produced on either the staminate or carpellate trees. The fruit is an oval purple/black drupe at maturity. The fruits can be eaten raw but are of inferior quality. |
| Flowering Fruiting period | December - February and March-April |
| Uses | Wood is generally insect resistant, biofuel, soaps, detergents, lubricants,varnishes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. |
| Medicinal Uses | Treatment for diarrhoea, malaria, edema, fever and stomach upset. |
| Tamil Name | Sourga Maram |