Digital Garden

Monoon longifolia 

False Ashoka 

Scientific Name- Monoon longifolia 

Synonym: Polyalthia longifolia 

Common names- False Ashoka 

Family - Annonaceae 

Habit type - tree 

Leaves 

Smooth, glossy leaves are lanceolate with distinctly wavy leaf margins (11 - 31 cm long, 2.5 - 8 cm wide). Leaf tip is long and thin, while the leaf base may be wedge-shaped or rounded. New foliage is yellowish to light brown, while mature foliage is dark green. Leaf arrangement is alternate with branches having one leaf per node. 

Bark 

Straight trunk has smooth, greyish brown bark. 

Flower 

Pale green to greenish yellow flowers are star-shaped with 6 thin, linear petals. The tree is covered with a profusion of delicate, star-like flowers, which, being palest-green in colour, give the tree a peculiar hazy appearance. They grow in clusters from small protuberances all along the dark branchlets. Each flower, borne on a slim, green stem has a tiny calyx and six long, narrow, wavy petals arranged in two sets of three. 

Fruit 

Smooth, ovoid to ellipsoid fruits (2 - 2.5 cm long, 1.5 cm wide) have fleshy pulp and occur in clusters of 20. Yellowish green, immature fruits ripen to become purplish black. Each fruit contains a single, large seed that is light brown and ovoid to ellipsoid with a curved, longitudinal groove along the surface (2 cm long, 1.4 cm wide). 

FACTS & MEDICINAL USES 

● This plant is used as an antipyretic agent in indigenous systems of medicine. Pharmacologic studies on the bark and leaves of this plant show effective antimicrobial activity, cytotoxic function, antiulcer activity, hypoglycemic activity, and hypotensive effect. 

● The leaves are used for ornamental decoration during festivals. 

● The tree is a focal point in gardens throughout India. The tree can be pruned into various shapes and maintained in required sizes. 

● The flexible, straight and light-weight trunks were used in the making of masts for sailing ships. Thus, the tree is also known as the Mast Tree.