Flora of the Nilgiris

Habit : A deciduous tree.

Habitat and Distribution : Dominant in Deciduous belt upto 1000 m. Peninsular India.

Indigenous Information : The leaves are eaten by Deer and sambar. Wood is used as fire wood. It is used to cure toothache by keeping a piece of the crushed bark on the teeth.

Other relevent information : Commonly called the Indian Soapnut Tree, the soap produced from this fruit is used to wash jewellery and silks. Traded extensively in India.

Field Tips : Bark grey with rough scales. Dense foliage . Leaflets (sub) opposite three-five pairs. Leaflets softly pubescent and beneath and on nerves above. Fruit slightly pubescent when young, glabrous rusty brown and wrinkled when mature. New foliage - March.

 

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Names:

English : Soapnut Tree
Irula : Poosam
Tamil : Puchaa, Poovan Kotti
Hindi : Ritha

Flower:

In terminal and axillary panicles, rusty. Flowering from February-April and August-December.

Fruit :

A drupe, 3-lobed smooth partly united, green to brown. Seed 1, round and shiny black. Fruiting from January-March and October-December.