Hymenodictyon Excelsum
Family : Rubiaceae
Common Name : Bridal couch Tree
English Name : Bridal Couch Tree
Hindi Name : Kala Bachnag, Bhorsal, Mach
Telugu Name : Bandaaru-chettu
Bengali Name : Latikarum
Tree Characteristics :
It is a small to medium-sized tree with a rounded crown; it can grow up to 25 meters tall. The bole is straight and cylindrical. The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Nursery:
Seed - direct seeding is not recommended as the seed is very small (about 170 000 seeds/kg) and easily washed away. The seed usually germinates easily, but loses its viability within a year. It should be sown in seed-beds and lightly covered with fine soil or fine sand and watered frequently, but sparingly. The first seedlings appear after 10 days, when 2 - 3 months old they can be pricked out into containers. Seedlings are light-demanding and easily killed by weeds.
Economic Uses :
Ø The bitter bark is used in local medicine as an antiperiodic, astringent and febrifuge. It contains scopoletin and a very bitter glycoside
Ø The heartwood is white when fresh, becoming yellow-grey or pale grey-brown on exposure, not clearly demarcated from the sapwood; grain straight; texture moderately fine to slightly coarse
Ø The wood is soft to moderately hard and moderately strong. It works very easily and turns well. The wood is not durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground and is moderately resistant to preservative treatment. It is somewhat liable to borers, especially when left debarked
The wood is used locally in house building, e.g. for planks, and sometimes for boats; it is also used for boxes, scabbards, packing-cases, implements, toys and matches.
