Chandigarh Forest Flora
A Comprehensive Database of Ligneous Plants of Chandigarh (India)
Designed & Developed by Bioinformatics Centre, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun
| Family: Annonaceae | Genus: Polyalthia | Species: Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites |
Habit |
Leaf |
Flower |
Fruit |
Bark |
|
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| Synonym | Guatteria longifolia (Sonn.) Wall.,Unona longifolia (Sonn.) Dunal, Uvaria longifolia Sonn. | Flower Color | Greenish |
| Common Name | Ashok, False Ashok, Mast Tree | Flower Type | Solitary |
| English / Trade Name | Ashok | Flowering Period | April-June |
| Vernacular /Local Name | Ashok | Fruiting Period | July-Sept |
| Altitude | Up to 500m | Fruit Type | Berry |
| Habit | Tree | Fruit Details | Fruit berry, green when young, dark purplish black when ripe; seeds 1, pale brown to light brown. |
| Habitat | Grown as ornamental and mixed forests | Bark Type | Smooth |
| Distribution | Bhutan, China, India, Sri Lanka; also cultivated in many tropical countries. | Bark Details | Bark dark grayish brown, branches sparsely puberulous when young, glabrous when mature. |
| Distribution in chandigarh | Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandigarh Botanical Garden and Nature Park, Sector 1, Sector 10, Sector 18, Sector 19, Sector 26, Sector 29, Sector 35, Sector 36, Sector 37, Sector 41, Sector 44 | Origin | Native |
| Leaf Type | Simple | ||
| Leaf Arrangement | Alternate (leaves born singly along stem) | ||
| Leaf Shape | Lence shaped | ||
| Description of Species | An evergreen tree with a straight trunk, conical crown and slender drooping branches, about up to 25 m tall. Bark dark grayish brown, branches sparsely puberulous when young, glabrous when mature. Leaves simple, alternate, narrow lanceolate or linear lanceolate, base slightly acute or cuneate, margin wavy or undulate, apex long acuminate, membranous, coriaceous, faintly aromatic, shining dark green, glabrous above, paler glaucous beneath, impressed above, prominent on the midrib beneath, very slightly on the veins beneath, reticulate veinlets fine and close. Flowers bisexual, axillary, solitary or fascicled on very short umbels from axils of fallen leaves, calyx 3, broadly ovate or triangular, base connate, apex acute, pubescent, Carolla 6, in 2 series, valvate, outer petals, slightly narrower than the inner petals, lanceolate, base broad, apex acuminate, yellowish green, fleshy. Fruit berry, green when young, dark purplish black when ripe; seeds 1, pale brown to light brown. | Leaf Details | Leaves simple, alternate, narrow lanceolate or linear lanceolate, base slightly acute or cuneate, margin wavy or undulate, apex long acuminate, membranous, coriaceous, faintly aromatic, shining dark green, glabrous above, paler glaucous beneath, impressed above, prominent on the midrib beneath, very slightly on the veins beneath, reticulate veinlets fine and close, |
