Gmelina Arborea
Family : Verbenaceae
Common Name : Gamhar
English Name : Gmelina
Hindi Name : Gamhar
Telugu Name : Gummudu
Bengali Name : Gamari
Tree Characteristics :
Gmelina is a fast-growing, unarmed, moderately sized to large deciduous tree with a wide spreading canopy with numerous branches forming a large shady crown. It can grow from 3 - 30 metres tall, sometimes even taller. The straight, cylindrical bole is commonly around 50cm in diameter, but specimens up to 140cm have been recorded. It can be unbranched for 6 - 10 metres.
Nursery:
Ripe brown fruits are collected from April to June from the ground, duly rejecting the green and black ones. Fruits are heaped under or buried in a pit for 4 to 5 days and then washed to remove the pulp. Although seeds can be stored for one year with slight decrease in viability, it is advised to use the fresh seeds. No. of depulped seeds per Kg 2500; Germination percentage 13 to 90; Seed is dibbled to a depth of 2 cms in the soil of polybags in June to July. Conshe bark, iderable amount of heat and moisture is needed to stimulate the germination and so the beds are covered with a layer of hay.
Economic Uses :
Ø Tleaves and roots contain traces of alkaloids and are used medicinally in the plants native range. For example, both fruit and bark have medicinal properties against bilious fever.
Ø The roots have great medicinal value as a blood purifier, laxative, stomachic, tonic and as an antidote to poisons.
Ø The leaf sap is used as a demulcent to treat gonorrhoea and cough, and is also applied to wounds and ulcers.
Ø The flowers have been used to treat leprosy and blood diseases
Ø The wood produces good-quality pulp. Kraft pulp of yemane wood is suitable for higher grades of writing paper. It is also utilized for particle board.
The wood burns well and makes a good fuel and charcoal,which has a calorific value of 4800 kcal/kg. For firewood, a spacing of 2 x 2 metres is recommended. Plantations have been established for tobacco curing.
