Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Sapotaceae
Genus: Manilkara
Species:
M. hexandra
Binomial name
Manilkara hexandra
Synonyms[1][2]

Mimusops hexandra Roxb. (basionym)

Fruits of Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra is a tree species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the family Sapotaceae. It is native to much of the Indian subcontinent: Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka; Indo-China: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.[1] Its vernacular names vary regionally; for example "Palu", "Palai"(பாலை) in Tamil or "Rayan" (පලු) in Sinhalese.[3] It is locally known as the Khirni tree in parts of Bangladesh and India.[4][5] In the Tamil language it is called Ulakkaippaalai or Kanuppaalai.[6]

Manilkara hexandra is a slow-growing but fairly large evergreen species. It grows in tropical and temperate forests. The tree typically attains some 12 to 25 metres tall and one to three metres in trunk circumference. The bark is grayish and rough.

The wood is hard, durable, and heavy; the density is variously reported as ranging from about 0.83 to 1.08 tonnes per cubic metre, partly depending on the degree of drying.[7] It is used for heavy structural work, gate posts, and big beams.[3] but also is used for turning and carpentry in spite of the difficulties of working with such dense wood.[8]

It is used as rootstock for Manilkara zapota, and its own fruit is edible.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille ser. 3, 3:9, fig. 2. 1915 "Manilkara hexandra". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  2. ^ Pl. Coromandel 1:16, t. 15. 1795 "Mimusops hexandra". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Forest Department (1962). Timber and its uses. Sri Lanka.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Malik, S. K.; Choudhary, Ravish; Kumar, Susheel; Dhariwal, O. P.; Deswal, R. P. S.; Chaudhury, Rekha (2012). "Socio-economic and horticultural potential of Khirni [Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard]: a promising underutilized fruit species of India". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 59 (6): 1255–1265. doi:10.1007/s10722-012-9863-1. S2CID 15072134.
  5. ^ "Khirni". Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  6. ^ "Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  7. ^ The Wood Database
  8. ^ Wood database: Workability