Dellenia pentagyna

Botanical Name – Dillenia pentagyna

Common Name – Aksikiphal, Punnaga (Sanskrit), Karmal, Kalla, Suarukh, Korkut, Kohkut, Aggai (Hindi), Piwala Karmal (Marathi), Kadu kanagilu (Kannada), Bajiou (Assamese)

Distribution – Punjab to Assam, South India, Andamans, Gujarat, Mizoram and West Bengal

Punjab, Gujrat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Andaman

Habit

• Medium to large sized deciduous tree
  
  

Habitat

• Moist and mixed deciduous forests
  
  

Specific properties

• Very handsome tree
• Fire tolerant
  
  

Ecology

• birds, mammals feed on ripened fruits
• Insects visit the flowers
  
  

Uses

• Tree is used in treatment of cancer, wounds, pain relief, dysentery, pleurisy, pneumonia, and burning sensation
• The flower-buds, unripe and ripe fruits are eaten raw or cooked
• A paste of the leaves is applied as a poultice to treat scorpion bites
• A fibre obtained from the inner bark is used for cordage
• The old leaves contain an abundance of silica and are used as a sandpaper
• The bark is used for treating diabetes, diarrhoea, cuts, and burns
• Wood is used for planks and rafters, tool handles, boats, cupboards, and panelling
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds