Heterophragma quadriloculare

Botanical Name – Heterophragma quadriloculare

Common Name  –  Waras (Marathi), Kaligottu mara (Kannada)

Distribution – Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

Habit

• Large deciduous tree
  
  

Habitat

• Common on hill slopes in dry deciduous, moist and semievergreen forests
  
  

Specific properties

• Naturally grows in hilly terrain, slopes
• Preferred for soil reclamation
  
  

Ecology

• Insects and bees, particularly Carpenter bees visit the flowers
  
  

Uses

• Used for roadside plantations or as ornamental tree
• Leaves used as fodder source
• Unripe fruits and flowers of Waras are used as food in some regions of Maharashtra
• The essential oil from flowers exhibits antimicrobial activity.
• The wood is hard and is used for building and agricultural purposes
• Leaf juice is applied externally for curing toe sores and chilblain
• Heterophragma quadriloculare is used to treat sanke-bite cases
• The essential oil obtained from flowers exhibits antimicrobial activity
• Essential oil from the leaves has antifungal properties
• Aerial parts extract is used in anti-diabetic medicines
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds