| Type | Indigenous |
|---|---|
| Family | Apocynaceae |
| Synonym | Nerium tinctorium Roxb. |
| Local Name | Dhantappala |
| Local Name 2 | Vettuppala |
| Local Name 3 | Kambippala |
| Trade Name | Sweet Indrajao |
| Habit | Small sized tree |
| Tree Seed | Fruit type: Follicle. Seed weight: 28,000 seeds/kg (FRI, 1985; Chacko et al., 2002). Vernacular name: Dhantappala, Kambippala, Aiya pala, Shanthippala, Neelampala, Vettupala (Malayalam), Nilapalei, Pala, Irumpalai, Thontha palei (Tamil), Dudhi, Indarjan, Khimi (Hindi) (Chacko et al., 2002). Flowering season: March to July (Bose et al., 1998); March to April (Bourdillon, 1908). Fruiting season: January to February (Chacko et al., 2002); November to January (Bose et al., 1998); August to September (Bourdillon, 1908). Germination type: Epigeous (Chacko et al., 2002). Method of propagation: By seeds. |
| Botanical Features | Deciduous trees; bark grey, smooth; outer layer thin, inner layer thick, brittle, creamy; blaze greenish-yellow; latex milky white. Leaves simple, opposite, distichous, estipulate; petiole 2-5 mm long, stout, glabrous; lamina 3.5-11 x 2-4 cm, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-ovate; base acute; apex acuminate or caudate acuminate; margin entire, glabrous, glaucous beneath, chartaceous; lateral nerves 5-10 pairs, slender, arched, pinnate, prominent, flower bisexual, white, scented, in terminal cymes appearing along with new leaves; fruit of 2 follicular mericarps, 15-45 cm long, slender, smooth, green, cylindric, cohering at the tip; seed 16 mm long, black. |
| Habit |  |
| Leaf |  |
| Flower |  |
| Fruit |  |