Blackboard Tree

The inner bark is of medicinal value and is used as a source of anti-malerial drug.

The bark and leaves are used to treat headache, influenza, bronchitis, and pneumonia. The wood is used for making coffins.

A tall evergreen tree upto 20 m or more; bark grey rough, lenticellate branches glabrous. Leaves (4-)5-7 (-10) whorled, coriaceous. glabrous, and shining, 9-20 x 2-5 cm, oblong-lanceolate or obvate, obtuse or shortly acuminate with 25-60 pairs of lateral nerves; margin entire; petiole 0.5-1 cm long, ending in a thick hooked gland on upper side. Inflorescence umbellately branched, many flowered, of capitate cymes, pubescent or tomentose; peduncle 2-5 cm long; pedicel 2-5 mm long, bracts oblong or lanceolate, acute, pubescent. Flowers greenish white 6-12 mm long. Calyx c. 2 mm long, pubescent, persistent; lobes oblong-ovate obtuse. Corolla tube cylindric, c. 6 mm long, lobes ovate, obtuse, 3-5 mm long. Disc absent. Follicles 30-60 cm long and 3-5 mm broad, pendulous.

Trees to 40 m tall, glabrous. Bark gray; branchlets copiously lenticellate. Leaves in whorls of 3-10; petiole 1-3 cm; leaf blade narrowly obovate to very narrowly spatulate, 7-28 X 2-11 cm, leathery, base cuneate, apex usually rounded; lateral veins 25-50 pairs, at 80-90° to midvein. Cymes dense, pubescent; peduncle 4-7 cm. Pedicel usually as long as or shorter than calyx. Corolla white, tube 6-10 mm; lobes broadly ovate or broadly obovate, 2-4.5 mm, overlapping to left. Ovaries distinct, pubescent. Follicles distinct, linear, to 57 cm X 2-5 mm. Seeds oblong, margin ciliate, ends with tufts of hairs 1.5-2 cm. Fl. Jun-Nov, fr. Oct-Dec. 2n = 22, 44*.

Tropical Asia and Africa.

Distribution: India to Indonesia, tropical Australia and Africa. Cultivated in Pakistan as an ornamental.

SW Guangxi, S Yunnan; cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Taiwan [Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia]

100-300 m

Fl. Per.: December-May.

Mixed forests, village groves; 200-1000 m.

Echites scholaris Linnaeus, Mant. Pl. 1: 53. 1767; Pala scholaris (Linnaeus) Roberty.