Botanical Name Plant's Common Name Plant Family   

   MC058 : Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC.

Plant Category : Climbers

Melghat's Flora's Serial No. :

Synonym : Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC. var. rugata (Benth.)Baker; Acacia hooperiana Miq.; Acacia hooperiana Miq. var. glabriuscula Miq.; Acacia hooperiana Miq. var. subcuneata Miq.; Acacia philippinarium Benth.; Acacia poilanei Gagnep.; Acacia polycephala DC.; Acacia pseudointsia auct. non Miq.; Acacia quisumbingii Merr.; Acacia rugata (Lam.) Merr.; Guilandina microphylla DC.; Mimosa concinna Willd.; Mimosa rugata Lam.; Nygae sylvarum-minimae Rumph.; Acacia merrillii I.C.Nielsen;

Plant Common Name : Shikakai, Soap-pod • Hindi: Kochi, Reetha, Shikakai • Marathi: Reetha • Tamil: Shika, Sheekay, Chikaikkai • Malayalam: Cheeyakayi, Chinik-kaya, Shikai, Cheenikka • Telugu: Cheekaya, Chikaya, Gogu • Kannada: Sheegae, Shige kayi, Sigeballi • Oriya: Vimala • Urdu: Shikakai • Assamese: Amsikira, Kachuai, Pasoi tenga, Suse lewa • Sanskrit: Bahuphenarasa, Bhuriphena, Charmakansa, Charmakasa, Phenila

Plant Family : MIMOSOIDEAE

Description : climbing, most well-known for the natural shampoo derived from its fruit. Thorny branches have brown smooth stripes - thorns are short, broad-based, flattened. Leaves with caducous stipules not thorn-like. Leaf stalks are 1-1.5 cm long with a prominent gland about the middle. Leaves are double-pinnate, with 5-7 pairs of pinnae, the primary rachis being thorny, velvety. Each pinnae has 12-18 pairs of leaflets, which are oblong-lanceshaped, 3-10 mm long, pointed, obliquely rounded at base. Inflorescences is a cluster of 2 or 3 stalked rounded flower-heads in axils of upper reduced leaves, appearing paniculate. Stalk carrying the cluster is 1-2.5 cm long, velvety. Flower-heads about 1 cm in diameter when mature. Flowers are pink, without or with reduced subtending bracts. Pods are thick, somewhat flattened, stalked, 8 cm long, 1.5-1.8 cm wide.

Plant Location in Melghat :

Medicinal Use / Activity : Shikakai is a commonly used herb that has many remedial qualities. It is popularly referred as "fruit for the hair" as it has a naturally mild pH, that gently cleans the hair without stripping it of natural oils. Shikakai is used to control dandruff, promoting hair growth and strengthening hair roots. Its leaves are used in malarial fever, decoction of the pods are used to relieve biliousness and acts as a purgative. An ointment, prepared from the ground pods, is good for skin diseases.

Plant's Phytochemicals : COMPOUNDS: 3beta-Hydroxy-20(29)-lupene; Calycotomine; Citric acid; d-Tartaric acid; L-Arabinose; Ascorbic acid; Nicotine; Rhamnose; Succinic acid; lupeol; spinasterol; acacic acid; lactone; hexacosanol; spinasterone; oxalic acid; tartaric acid; citric acid; succinic acid; ascorbic acid; calyctomine; nicotine;

ACTIVE COMPOUNDS (3):

Lupeol;

Ascorbic acid;

Spinasterol;

Plant's Current Status :

Plant's Cross Database Reference : 259142

Reference : Prabha Y. Bhogaonkar and Pankaj A. Dhole; "Checklist of Flora of Melghat"; Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director, Melghat Tiger Project, Camp, Amravati (2018 - 2019); Book

Reference : ~ Prabha Y. Bhogaonkar and Pankaj A. Dhole; "Checklist of Flora of Melghat"; Chief Conservator of Forest & Field Director, Melghat Tiger Project, Camp, Amravati (2018 - 2019); Book PMID :

Kingdom : Plantae - Plants
Phylum : Tracheophyta
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class : Liliopsida - Monocotyledons
Subclass : Liliidae
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Genus : Acacia
Species : Acacia concinna Sensu auct., non (Willd.)DC.

Acacia concinna Sensu auct., non (Willd.)DC.
Acacia concinna Sensu auct., non (Willd.)DC.