Trema Orientalis
Family : Cannabaceae
Common Name : Charcoal Tree
English Name : Charcoal Tree
Hindi Name : Gio, Jiwan
Telugu Name : Kakamushti
Bengali Name : Chikan
Tree Characteristics :
Charcoal tree is a fast-growing, evergreen shrub or tree with a heavy branching and rounded to spreading crown, reaching a height of up to 18 metres.It has a short basally swollen bole that can be 60cm in diameter. The plant has a wide range of traditional uses for food, medicine and other commodities. A fast-growing tree, it has several applications in agroforestry as a shade tree, pioneer species etc. It is also grown in various areas in plantations as a timber crop and is grown as an ornamental in gardens, where its fast growth makes it a popular choice for a new garden.
Nursery:
Seed - to break dormancy, the seed needs to be stored at 2°c for 3 - 4 months.Seeds require a high light intensity for germination. Germination rate is around 30%.Seed storage behaviour is uncertain; viability can be maintained for 6 months in hermetic storage at room temperature, after which viability reduces rapidly.Cuttings.
Economic Uses :
The plant is vermifuge, and is known to have anti-plasmodium properties
Both bark and leaf decoctions are used as a gargle, inhalation, drink, lotion, bath or vapour bath for coughs, sore throat, asthma, bronchitis, gonorrhoea, yellow fever, toothache
A tea made from small pieces of the roasted wood is used to treat dysentery
The bark yields a black dye
he wood is off-white or tinged with pink. It is fine-grained, soft, light and of low durability. It is used in manufacturing panel products, poles and drumsticks
