Family : Apocynaceae
Common Name : Sweet indrajao
English Name : Pala indigo Plant
Hindi Name : Kapar
Telugu Name : Ankuduchettu
Bengali Name : Raktakanchanara
Tree Characteristics :
Wrightiatinctoria is a deciduous tree; it can grow from 6 - 18 metres tall. The bole can be 20cm in diameter. The tree is harvested from the wild for local as a medicine and source of a dye and wood. It is occasionally planted as an ornamental in the tropics.
Nursery:
Fruiting season is January to February. Seed weight 28,000 seeds/kg. The follicles are collected from the trees by lopping off the branches. Soaking in cold water. Seeds are sown in germination trays filled with vermiculite and watered regularly. When the seedlings emerge, they are pricked out into polybags of size 20 cm x 10 cm filled with soil based potting mixture and maintained under shade
Economic Uses :
The leaves are acrid, thermogenic, hypotensive, and are useful in odontalgia, vitiated condition of vata and hypertension. The bark and seeds are good for treating colic, diarrhoea, leprosy, fever and burning sensation.
The wood is extensively used for carving, turnery, combs, match boxes, printing blocks etc. Tender leaves, seeds and pods are eaten. A semi drying oil is obtained from seeds
