East Indian Walnut Tree

Location in BHU campus :Grows along the roadside as well as in fields in the campus.

Botanical name : Albizia lebbeck Benth.

Family : Mimosaceae

Vernacular / local Name : Bengali-Kakursiris; Gujarati-Kalosarasio; Hindi-Kalasiris ; Kannada-Bilvara; Malayalam- Pulivaga,Dirasana; Marathi- Chikunda; Tamil-Vagai,Karuvagai; Telugu-Chinduga.

English /Trade names : East Indian Walnut, Siris tree, Kokko

A medium to large sized deciduous tree ,usually up to 20 m high. Bark dark grey or brownish. Leaves bipinnate; pinnae 2-4 pairs ,5-20 cm long; leaflets 5-8 pairs, elliptic oblong .Flowers white ,fragrant, in globose heads .Heads may be solitary or 2-3 together in upper axils or in terminal umbelliform raceme.Fruit a pod ,flat, straw coloured when ripe ,seeds 4-12.Seeds 6-9 mm , compressed, pale brown. Pods remain in the tree for a very long time and rattle in the breeze.

• Sacred value

The tree is sacred especially to Buddhists.According to astrologers the plant when used in baths will have benevolent effects of the celestial body ,the Venus.

• Uses

It is one of the important trees of Rajasthan, useful for afforestation and as fodder for camels and cattle. In the Andamans the timber is valuable for ornamental work and is exported. Wood is used for furniture, construction purposes, agricultural implements, carving, panelling etc. Bark yields tannin. Leaves, seeds and bark are of medicinal value. Tree yields gum.