''Alangium salviifolium'', commonly known as sage-leaved alangium, is a flowering plant in the

Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, '' Alangium'' and '' Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, ...

family. It is also commonly known as Ankolam in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, Ankola in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, Akola or Ankol in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

and Alanji in Tamil. In

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, Its mostly found in dry regions in plains and low hills and also found on roadsides.

Etymology

The name ''Alangium'' is Latinized from the

name Alangi, which, in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

, refers to ''Alangium salviifolium''.Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC;, USA. London, UK. (vol. I). (see ''External links'' below). It was named in 1783 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his Encyclopédie Méthodique ''Alangium'' At: International Plant Names Index. (See ''External links'' below).Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. 1783. ''Encyclopédie Méthodique: botanique''. 1(1):174 (See ''External links'' below). Alangium Salvifolium 07

Description

Sage-leaved alangium is a small, bushy tree offering a dense canopy with a short trunk. It bears fragrant white flowers which have green buds. The petals of the flower typically curl backwards exposing the multiple

stamens The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

and a linear stigma distinctly sticking out. The fruits are spherical berry like and red in color. The prominent remains of the

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

can be seen distinctly with a white color. The leaves are simple, alternate, oblong-lanceolate. The stunted branches end up with sharp ends making it look like thorns. In

, this tree is mostly found near sandy riverine tracts and road cuttings. This tree flowers between February and April and Fruits between March and May just in time before the rainy season starts. It sheds it leaves completely when it flowers and leaves start coming when it begins to fruit. It is considered as a holy tree and temples have been built near it. Sage-Leaved Alangium 09

Distribution

It is native to the Indian subcontinent, the

Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros ( Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northw ...

and eastern tropical Africa. In the Indian sub-continent, it is found in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

, Chhattisgarh, Goa,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

, Maharashtra,

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the eas ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in the North India, northern part of India. It is often referred to as t ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...

. Other countries and regions which it occurs in are: Bangladesh; Sri Lanka; Nepal; West Himalya; Comoro Islands; Kenya; and Tanzania.

Biodiversity and ecology

The flowers are bird and bee pollinated. It is mainly pollinated by pale-billed flowerpecker ('' Dicaeum erythrorhynchos''), purple-rumped sunbird (''

Leptocoma zeylonica The purple-rumped sunbird (''Leptocoma zeylonica'') is a sunbird endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Like other sunbirds, they are small in size, feeding mainly on nectar but sometimes take insects, particularly when feeding young. They can hove ...

''), purple sunbird (''

Cinnyris asiaticus The purple sunbird (''Cinnyris asiaticus'') is a small bird in the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia but extending west into parts of the Arabian peninsula. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will ...

'') and two large carpenter bee species, '' Xylocopa latipes'' and '' Xylocopa pubescens''. The birds that feed on the fruits are common myna ('' Acridotheres tristis''), babblers (''Turdoides'' sp) and rose-ringed parakeets (''

Psittacula krameri The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct nativ ...

''). This is the host plant of the larvae of a rare Western Ghat hawkmoth ''

Daphnis minima ''Daphnis minima'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. It is similar to '' Daphnis placida placida'' but smaller and the forewing upperside median olive-green band is less oblique, wider p ...

Uses

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repor ...

the roots and the fruits are used for the treatment of

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

and

haemorrhoid Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term '' ...

. Externally, it is used for the treatment of bites by rabbits, rats, and dogs.http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Sage%20Leaved%20Alangium.html The root-bark is also used in traditional medicine skin problems and as an antidote for snake bite. The root-bark is also used to expel parasitic worms (

Platyhelminthes The flatworms, flat worms, Platyhelminthes, or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegment ...

) and other internal parasites from the body. It is used as an emetic and purgative as well. The wood is said to be hard and close-grained because of which good finishing is possible. It is used to make ornamental work, pestles and rollers and also is good as a fuel wood. The stems because of its sharp ends are used as a spear in Kenya. The twigs are also used as toothbrush in India. It is considered to be good for making musical instruments and for making furniture as well.

Gallery

Alangium salviifolium in Keesaraguda, AP W2 IMG 9106.jpg Alangium Salvifolium 06.JPG Sage-Leaved Alangium 04.JPG Sage-Leaved Alangium 02.JPG Alangium Salvifolium 19.JPG Alangium Salvifolium 20.JPG Alangium salviifolium 04.JPG Alangium salviifolium in Keesaraguda, AP W IMG 9104.jpg Sage-Leaved Alangium 06.JPG Alangium salviifolium leaves and flowers 18.JPG Sage-Leaved (Alangium salviifolium) fruits in Visakhapatnam.jpg

References

External links

* http://ayurvedicmedicinalplants.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=26&page=view&catid=1&key=26 * https://web.archive.org/web/20140824082644/http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Lobed-leaf%20Alangium.html {{Taxonbar, from=Q10927686 salviifolium