Thespesia populnea (L.) Soland. ex Correa | |
Malvaceae | |
Poovarasu | |
| Botanical Name | Thespesia populnea (L.) Soland. ex Correa |
| Synonyms | Azana acuminata .Alef.; Bupariti altissima (Spreng.) Rothm |
| Family | Malvaceae |
| Common Name | English : Bendy tree, Portia tree / Tamil : Poovarasu |
| Distribution | Global : Northern South America, Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Australia, Indian and Pacific Ocean Islands. Indian: Throughout India. |
| Description | Large deciduous tree up to 15 m height, bark dark brown; branchlets densely covered with minute scales. Leaves simple, alternate, stipulate; linear to lanceolate, cauducous, petiole slender, swollen tipped, scaly, lamina ovate, base cordate or truncate, apex acute or acuminate, margin entire, coriaceous, , intercostae venenation. Inflorescence axillary/ terminal solitary or cyme. Flowers pentamerous, bisexual, yellow, showy, bracts oblong-lanceolate, acute, cauducous, calyx minutely 5 toothed, accrescent and flattened in fruit, scaly outside, densely serious inside, corolla light yellow with dark purple in centre, fading to purplish-pink, broadly campanulate, petals 5, obliquely obovate, narrowed and fleshy at base, rounded at apex, densely scaly outside, twisted. Stamens many, staminal tube 15-25 mm long, 5-toothed at apex, filaments ascending; anthers reniform. Ovary superior, globose to ovoid, pentacarpellary, ovules 2-3 in each cell; style 3 cm long; stigma club shaped, 5-furrowed. Fruit a capsule, globose, indehiscent, depressed. Seeds many, ovoid, channelled along the back, pubescent. |
| Flowering Fruiting period | Throughout the year |
| Uses | Wind break, Live fence, green manure, timber, and dyeing |
| Medicinal Uses | Useful medicinal properties, such as antifertility, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, purgative and hepatoprotective activity. |
| Tamil Name | Poovarasu |