Bio Diversity Park

Common Name : Ceylon Ironwood

Hindi Name : खिरनी, क्षीरी | Scientific Name : Manilkara hexandra
Family : Sapotaceae
Uses : The fruit can be eaten fresh or dried. A sweet flavour, but somewhat astringent. A pale yellow oil, known as rayan oil, is obtained from the seed kernels. The seeds contain 25% oil. The bark is added to palm sugar to inhibit fermentation Extracts from this plant and bio transformed products possess different activities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, aphrodisiac, immuno-stimulation activity, arthritic activity, and free radical scavenging activity. Apart from therapeutic indications, the products obtained such as edible and nutritious fruit, valuable wood, latex, and bark, are cost effective and are a source of living for local people. different parts of the plant possess medicinal properties like anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, against gastrointestinal disorders etc.
Native: India to China (S. Guangxi) and Peninsula Malaysia (Johor)
General Description:

It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. Ceylon Iron Wood is a tree or a shrub, 3-12 m tall, with gray bark and smooth branchlets. Alternately arranged leaves are often closely clustered towards the end of branchlets, with conspicuous scars. Leaf-stalks are 0.8-2 cm. Leaf blade is obovate to obovate-elliptic, 5-10 x 3-7 cm, both surfaces smooth, base broadly wedge-shaped to obtuse. Flowers areise in fascicles in leaf axils. Pedicel is thick, 1-1.8 cm. Sepals are ovate- triangular, 3-4 mm, yellowish gray velvety. Flowers are white or light yellow, about 4 mm. Petals are oblong, about 3 mm. Berry is obovoid-oblong to ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm, 1- or 2-seeded. Seeds about 1 cm. Flowering: August-December.