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Terminalia citrina

(Gaertn.) Roxb. ex Fleming

Citron myrobalan, Haranut

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(c) T R Shankar Raman, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by T R Shankar Raman

iNaturalist· cc-by

(c) T R Shankar Raman, some rights reserved (CC BY)

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Description

A large tree. It grows 40 m tall. The trunk can be 2.1 m across. It rests on or climbs other trees. It can have buttresses up to 3 m tall. The leaves are almost opposite and sword shaped. They are hairy when young. The flowers are in spikes in the axils of leaves and near the ends of branches. The fruit is oblong and fleshy with 5 ridges.

Edible Uses

The oblong fleshy fruit are eaten raw, dried, or chewed.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw or dried. They are mostly just chewed.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The fruit contains tannins and is astringent. It is used in the treatment of thrush and obstinate diarrhoea.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows along sea shores up to 200 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Bangladesh, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia,

Cultivation

The fruits are similar to and often mistaken for the commercial myrobalans (Terminalia chebula).

Other Uses

Tannin is extracted from the fruits. The bark gives a blue dye. The heartwood is irregular in outline, grayish or brownish with dark purplish brown streaks; it is not clearly demarcated from the 5 - 10cm wide band of sapwood that is yellowish white when fresh, turning to pale grayish brown. The texture is fine and smooth; the grain straight. The wood is hard; heavy; somewhat durable, even the sapwood is not attacked by beetles. It seasons well and works very smoothly. It is used for posts above stumps; beams, joists, rafters; floors; sheathing; ceiling;boats, masts, furniture and cabinetwork. In Indo-China beautiful furniture is said to be made from it.

Other Information

They are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.

Nutrition

PartMoisturekJkcalProteinVit AVit CIronZinc
Fruit75.50.953.5

Synonyms

Myrobalanus citrina Gaertn.

Also Known As

Antoi puteh, Antoi, Belawan, Cheluka, Haritaki, Hatiyal, Hilika, Kayu rajah, Kyasu, Llikand, Manahi, Monalu, Pelawai, Pohon ketapang blabah, Pokok belang rimau, Samaw di ngu, Samaw liem, Samaw muk, Selakhai, Silikha

References (12)

  • Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 628
  • Asiat. Res. 11:183. 1810
  • Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 2179
  • Coronel, R.E., 1982, Fruit Collections in the Philippines. IBPGR Newsletter p 10
  • Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 645
Show all 12 references
  • Meitei, L. R., et al, 2022, An ethnobotanical study on the wild edible plants used by forest dwellers in Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, Manipur, India. Ethnobotany Research and Application 23:15
  • Murtem, G. & Chaudhrey, P., 2016, An ethnobotanical note on wild edible plants of Upper Eastern Himalaya, India. Brazilian Journal of Biological Sciences, 2016, v. 3, no. 5, p. 63-81
  • Pullaiah, T., et al, Ethnobotany of India, Volume 1: Eastern Ghats and Deccan.
  • Patiri, B. & Borah, A., 2007, Wild Edible Plants of Assam. Geethaki Publishers. p 54
  • Sarma, H., et al, 2010, Updated Estimates of Wild Edible and Threatened Plants of Assam: A Meta-analysis. International Journal of Botany 6(4): 414-423
  • Srivastava, R. C., 2010, Traditional knowledge of Nyishi (Daffla) tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 9(1):26-37
  • Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 546

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