Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders

Taxonomy: Plantae> Tracheophyta> Magnoliopsida> Magnoliales> Annonaceae> Monoon> M. longifolium

Description: The weeping, branching habit of this 25-foot tall tree gives it a narrow columnar shape. Glossy green, long, narrow leaves have attractive wavy edges. Ashok is commonly seen as a lofty column, very graceful with its downward-sweeping branchlets and shining, green foliage ; but sometimes wide-spreading slender branches issue from the straight trunk and form a compact symmetrical crown. It is a very popular tree in India. The bark is smooth and dark greyish-brown. Flowers appear during March and April. For a short period — two or three weeks only — 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.

Flowering and Fruiting : March - April

Uses : The inner bark is said to yield a good bast fibre . The yellowish-white wood is rather soft, tough, fairly close and even-grained .It bends easily and has been used in making barrels.

Cultivation : Wild, Ornamental

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org