Madhuca longifolia

Botanical Name – Madhuca longifolia

Common Name – Indian Butter Tree, Madhuk, Madhuca (Sanskrit), Mahua, (Hindi), Moha (Marathi), Ippe (Kannada), Mahudo (Gujrati)

Habit

• Large deciduous tree
• Moderate growth
  
  

Habitat

• Tropical mixed deciduous forests
  
  

Distribution – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

Specific Properties

• Drought resistant
• Preferred for soil regeneration and habitat restoration
• Nitrogen fixing tree
  
  

Ecology

• Sloth bear, Elephants, Macaques, Deer, Giant squirrels, birds, bats feed on Mahua
• Large sized trees are preferred nesting sites for large birds like hornbill, owls
• Leaves, flowers and fruits are lopped for goats and sheep
  
  

Uses

• Vital socio-economic role for tribal communities in form of food, fodder, fuel
• Plant is used for treatment of cough-cold, bronchitis, leprosy, skin diseases, bleeding gums, diarrhoea, weakness of nerves, stomach ulcers, diabetics, rheumatic problems etc
• Flowers and fruits are eaten raw and cooked
• Leaves are edible and used as fodder, as cutlery
• Fat extracted from fruits is called Mowrah Butter, used in margarine, chocolate, soaps, candles etc
• flowers have 73% sugar are used to prepare country liquor by tribal communities
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds