Millingtonia hortensis L.f.

മരമല്ലി

Family : Bignoniaceae

Synonym : Bignonia suberosa Roxb.

Common Names : Maramalli, Akasaveppu, Tree jasmine

Flowering Period : March – August

Distribution : South East Asia and Malaysia

Habitat : Grown as ornamental tree

Uses : Ornamental tree. Flower buds are used in the treatment of asthma, sinusitis, cholagogue and tonic. The flowers are used in rituals. The flowers are added to tobacco for smoking as treatment for throat ailments. Stem also having great medicinal value using as lung tonic and cough diseases. Bark is used as a yellow dye. Leaves and roots of cork tree used as anti-asthmatic and antimicrobial activity. Whole plant show antipyretic, antitubercular, antimicrobial, larvicidal, antimutagenic, anticancer, antifungal properties.

Key Characters :

Trees, to 15 m high; bark pale brown, corky. Leaves 2-3 pinnate, opposite; pinnae 11-17 pairs, opposite, imparipinnate; leaflets 3-5, opposite; lamina ovate or elliptic-ovate, margin entire or coarsely dentate-crenate. Flowers bisexual, white, in terminal corymbose panicles; calyx  cupular, puberulous; lobes 5; corolla tube narrow, cylindric, throat wide; lobes 5; stamens 4, didynamous; anthers oblong; ovary superior, ovules many; style slender; stigma 2-lobed. Fruit an elongated capsule; seeds many, winged.