False White Teak

Mallotus nudiflorus  (syn. Trewia nudiflora)

Bengali: Pitali ; Hindi: Pindar/ Pindalu /Tumbri

A medium sized deciduous tree. Leaves are opposite, 4-6 inches long, heart shaped, leaf stalks are long (2-3’’).  This is a dioecious tree (a tree is either male or female)

Bark: Smooth, greyish brown with whitish patches

Leaf:  4-6’’, with 2-3’’ leaf stalks. Elongated heart shaped.

Flowers: Male flowers are borne in 7-19 cm long racemes, carried on slender stalks. Female flowers are borne singly on long stalks

Fruit: A fleshy berry, 1-1.5’’ in diameter round with a stone inside

Season: Leaves fall in the cold weather, and at the end of December or in January the male trees become covered with catkinlike spikes of flowers consisting chiefly of masses of yellow stamens. Meanwhile the female trees produce only solitary green flowers, without petals, borne on long stalks, which subsequently develop into fruit. Fruit matures by Oct.

Range/habitat: This tree is a native of all the hotter and damper parts of India. It used to be plentiful in and around Kolkata, being one of the commonest trees in thickets and jungles, and about villages, especially on the banks of canals and tank. It is almost always self-grown.

Trivia and notes: This tree resemble white teak tree or Gamhar hence the derogatory name. This tree is also known and rhinoceros apple tree as rhino’s are quite fond of its fruit.

Where to Find: Number of them found in Rabindra Sarovar, Kolkata. There are a male (22.51105N, 88.36508E) and female(22.51105N, 88.36508E) tree near the Dhakuria/Buddha Temple gate side (gate number 1)

Opposite to safari park there is a labelled Gab tree (22.51169N,88.35825E). Here, close to water, there are three Pitali trees (2 male and a female) GPS: 22.51156, 88.35805