Dilip Walse Patil

Scientific Name : Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Corrêa

Category : Angiosperms

Status : Alive

Habit : A medium-sized tree with a spreading crown of branches. Leaves : Smooth, somewhat similar to those of the Pipal tree, broadly ovate, cordate, acuminate entire, 5- nerved, often with a glandular pore in one or more of the intercostal spaces below. Stipules triangular, deciduous. Inflorescence : Axillary Flowers : Flowers large, at first yellow with a purple spot on the inner side near the base, at maturity the flowers turn pinkish red, the spot becoming almost black. Calyx copular, truncate. Corolla large, yellow with purple base. Staminal tube toothed at the apex. Ovary half-5 celled, style club-shaped at the apex, 5-furrowed. Fruit : Capsules, globose, covered with minute peltate scales, surrounded at the base by persistent calyx. Flowering and Fruiting Time : Almost throughout the year, particularly at the beginning of the cold season. Significance : A road-side tree or wild. The juice of the fruit is used in skin diseases. The leaves are employed as application to swollen joints.