Herbarium JCB

Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br.

Family : APOCYNACEAE
Family (As per The Plant List) : Apocynaceae
Species : Alstonia scholaris
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.
Common name : Scholar Tree, Devil Tree, Shaitaanwood Tree
Vernacular name : Saptachada (San.); Chattiyan, Saitaan ka Jhat (Hin.); Haale mara (Kan.)
Collection Nos : CJS 13084, CJS 16002
Key identification features : A large evergreen native tree with bitter milky latex. Leaves are simple, bright green on the upper side and greyish-white beneath. They occur clustered (4-7) around each node. Flowers are small (1-1.5 cm. long), greenish-white, sweet-scented and occur in dense tightly packed clusters. Stamens with short filaments are inserted near the throat of the corolla tube. A pair of fruits develops from each flower, which are long (20-50 cm.), slender and pendulous. Seeds are papery and hairy at both ends. Bark grey-brown, rough, lenticellate.
Habit : Tree
Native : India
Comments : Common in the forests. Flowers strongly scented, especially in the evenings, a fragrance that makes you turn your head, then wonder if you really like it. Wood is not durable. The bitter bark is used in medicine as a tonic and antiperiodic
Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
Distribution Locality : Bagalkot, Bangalore, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamrajnagar, Chikamagalur, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Haveri, Kodagu, Kolar, Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Ramanagara, Shimoga, Tumkur, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Yadgir, Udupi
Floras referred : Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 - Hassan; Gowda, 2004 - Sringeri; Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Bangalore; Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Coorg; Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2003 - Udupi; Harish Bhat et al, 2013- Netrani Island Report; Manjunath et al., 2003 - Davanagere; Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara