| Plant Category | : | Shrubs |
| Melghat's Flora's Serial No. | : | |
| Synonym | : | Cailliea glomerata (Forssk.)J.F.Macbr.; Dichrostachys glomerata (Forssk.)Chiov.; Dichrostachys nutans (Pers.)Benth.; Dichrostachys platycarpa Welw.; Mimosa cinerea L.; Mimosa glomerata Forssk.; Mimosa nutans Pers.; |
| Plant Common Name | : | Sickle Bush • Hindi: Kunali, khairi, Veerataru • Marathi: Durangi babool, Sigam kathi • Tamil: Veduttalam • Malayalam: Vitattal • Telugu: Nellajammi • Kannada: Odavinaha, Vaduvarada gida • Oriya: Khoiridya • Gujarati: Mordundiyun, Marud • Sanskrit: Vellantaru, Viradru |
| Plant Family | : | MIMOSOIDEAE |
| Description | : | Small thorny trees; upto 6 m high, spines axillary, straight, often leaf bearing; bark grey or brownish, with vertical fissures, peeling off in thin flake; branchlets densely pubescent, spine-tipped. Leaves bipinnate, alternate, stipulate; stipules 2, minute, lateral; rachis 30-65 mm, slender, pulvinate, pubescent; pinnae 5-15 pairs, 1.5-2 cm, opposite, even pinnate, slender, pulvinate, pubescent, with a gland between each pairs; leaflets 24-50, opposite, sessile, estipellate; lamina 0.2-0.3 x 0.1 cm, oblong, base obtuse, apex acute, margin entire, ciliate, tomentose, chartaceous; nerves obscure. Flowers polygamous, 2 mm across, in solitary or axillary paired spikes; upper flowers bisexual, yellow; lower ones neutar, pink or purple; bracts oblong; calyx tube campanulate, lobes 5; petals 5, lanceolate connate below, pubescent, valvate; stamens 10, free, exserted, anthers ending in stalked glands; ovary 0.5 mm, subssessile, pubescent; style 3 mm; stigma terminal, truncate. Fruit a pod, linear, flat, coiled, continuous within, indehiscent or opening from apex; seeds 4-6, ovoid, compressed. |
| Plant Location in Melghat | : | |
| Medicinal Use / Activity | : | The bark is astringent and vermifuge. It is used in the treatment of dysentery, headaches, toothaches and elephantiasis. The root is anthelmintic, purgative and strongly diuretic. Infusions are taken for the treatment of snake bites, leprosy, syphilis and coughs. A decoction of the root has been used as a contraceptive for women. The pounded roots and leaves are used to treat epilepsy. The roots or the leaves can be chewed and placed on the sites of snake bites and scorpion stings. The leaves are diuretic and laxative. Applied externally, they are believed to produce a local anaesthesia. They are used in treating gonorrhea, boils, sore eyes and toothaches. A powder from the leaves is used in the massage of fractures. A chloroform extract of the leaves has been shown to possess anti-bacterial and analgesic activites.
A saponin extract of the leaves has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory activity
An aqueous extract of the leaves has been shown to possess analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. |
| Plant's Phytochemicals | : | COMPOUNDS: quercetin; Cyanidin; 1-Octacosanol; beta-amyrin; ACTIVE COMPOUNDS (1): Quercetin; |
| 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 : ~ Johnstone Omukhulu Neondo, Cecilia Mweu Mbithe, Peter Kariuki Njenga and Catherine Wangari Muthuri; "Phytochemical characterization, antibacterial screening and toxicity evaluation of Dichrostachys cinerea"; International Journal of Medicinal Plant Research (2012); 1(4): 032-037 PMID : |
| Kingdom | : Plantae - Plants |
|---|---|
| Phylum | : Tracheophyta |
| Subkingdom | : Tracheobionta - Vascular plants |
| Superdivision | : Spermatophyta - Seed plants |
| Division | : Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class | : Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons |
| Subclass | : Rosidae |
| Order | : Fabales |
| Family | : Fabaceae / Leguminosae - Pea family |
| Genus | : Dichrostachys (DC.) Wight & Arn. - dichrostachys |
| Species | : Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. - aroma |
