• Family : RUTACEAE
  (CITRUS FAMILY OR RUE FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Rutaceae
• Species : Chloroxylon swietenia
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Chloroxylon swietenia DC.
• Common name : East-Indian Satin wood
• Vernacular name : Bhera, Bhirra, Girya, Bhivia (Hin.); Huragalu mara, Masivala mara (Kan.); Mammarai, Porasu, Vaaimaram (Tam.); Billudu, Billu, Billa Karra (Tel.); Bheru, Bherua (Ori.)
• Key identification features : A moderate-sized deciduous tree. Bark is light grey, soft, corky and fissured. Bark and blaze aromatic. Leaves are pinnate with 10-20 pairs, often clustered towards the apex. Leaflets are oblique and gland-dotted. Inflorescence is a panicle, flower is pedicelled with sepals and petals 5 each, petals are white and clawed with 10-lobed disk. Stamens are 10, free and dimorphic, inserted between the lobes of the disk. Ovary is partly immersed in the disk. Fruit is a loculicidal capsule.
• Habit : Tree
• Flower, Fruit : January-August
• Comments : Common in lower deciduous forests and on hills up to 1200 m. This species is used extensively for its timber and also said to be fire resistant.
• Conservation Status : Vulnerable (VU)
• Distribution Locality : Bellary district (Karnataka State); Javadhu Hills (Tiruvannamalai district, former North Arcot) (Tamil Nadu State); Guntur district, Prakasham district, Kurnool district, Chittoor district, Visakhapatnam district, East Godavari district (Andhra Pradesh State); Ganjam district, Kalahandi district, Angul district, Puri district (Odisha State)
• World Distribution : India, Madagascar, Sri lanka.
• Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. ; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.; Naidu, M.T. & O.A. Kumar (2015). Tree species diversity in the Eastern Ghats of northern Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(8): 7443-7459
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Chloroxylon swietenia. Downloaded on 29 June 2024.

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