Emblica Officinallis
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Common Name : Amla
English Name : Indian Goose berry
Hindi Name : Amla
Telugu Name : Usiri
Bengali Name : Amlaki
Tree Characteristics :
Emblic is a deciduous shrub or small tree; it usually grows 7.5 - 18 metres tall but occasionally can reach up to 30 metres. The bole, which is often crooked and gnarled, is up to 35cm in diameter. While actually deciduous, shedding its branchlets as well as its leaves, the plant is seldom entirely bare and is therefore often cited as being evergreen. The plant is commonly cultivated in the home garden, especially in India, for its edible fruit and as a medicinal plant and is often found in local markets.
Nursery:
Seeds are extracted by drying the ripe fruits collected during January until they burst with cracking sound when the seeds come out. Seeds have very short viability. 80 to 85 kgs. Of fruits give 1 kg of seeds. No.of seeds per kg - 65,000 to 90,000; Germination percentage – 90 to 100%; Time taken for germination in days – 40 to 50 days; No pretreatment is necessary. But it is better to put in cowdung slurry for 48 hours. Planting is done during July-August. Pits of 1-1.25 m size are dug 2 months prior to planting In each pit 3-4 baskets of well rotten farmyard manure and 1 kg neem cake or 500 g bone meal are mixed with soil and filled. Spacing of 6 x 6 m. Hedge row planting is also being tried keeping line–to–line distance of 8m.
Economic Uses :
Ø Fruits have good market value Fruits and bark have medicinal value Planted as border trees, Avenue trees, Road side plantaions.
Ø Leaves used as Fodder.
Ø The bark, as well as the roots, leaves and immature fruits, are highly valued as a source of tannins. The bark of shoots less than 5 cm in diameter is used to obtain a good tannin.
Ø A fixed oil derived from the fruit allegedly acts as a hair-restorer and is used in shampoos in India.
Ø Very durable when submerged and believed to clarify water, it is utilized for making crude aqueducts and inner braces for wells.
Indian medicine (Ayurveda) that has traditionally been used for the purposes of enhancing general vitality and cognition as well as promoting longevity;
