Xylocarpus moluccensis

Scientific name: Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lam.) M.Roem.

Family: Meliaceae

Synonym: Carapa moluccensis Lam.

Bengali/Vernacular name: Passur, Ail.

English name: Cedar mangrove.

Description of the plant: An evergreen mangrove tree, 6-20 m tall. Leaves abruptly pinnate, rachis terete, petioles up to 10 cm long, leaflets 2-3 pairs, 7-15 cm long, elliptic-oblong, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate. Flowers small, pinkish-yellow or creamy-white. Fruits the size of orange, flattened-globose, 4-grooved, 7-12 cm across, valves woody.

Plant parts used: Bark.

Ethnomedicinal uses: Juice is extracted from the bark of the plant is given in gastrointestinal disorder such as diarrhoea, dysentery, stomachache, and constipation.

Decoction is made with the bark of the plant is given for the treatment of fever.

The bark of the plant is used to treat candidiasis, scabies, and baby rash.

Distribution: This species is found in the Sundarbans, Chakaria Shundarbans, and other coastal areas of the country.

Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….