Mesua ferrea

Ceylon ironwood
Ceylon ironwood in Selangor, Malaysia.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Calophyllaceae
Genus: Mesua
Species:
M. ferrea
Binomial name
Mesua ferrea
Synonyms[1]

Mesua coromandelina Wight
Mesua nagassarium (Burm.f.) Kosterm.
Mesua pedunculata Wight
Mesua roxburghii Wight
Mesua sclerophylla Thw.
Mesua speciosa Choisy
Mesua stylosa

Mesua ferrea, the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron,[2] is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its graceful shape, grayish-green foliage with a beautiful pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and large, fragrant white flowers. It is the national tree of Sri Lanka, as well as the state tree of Mizoram and state flower of Tripura in India.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WorldFloraOnline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Nag Kesar". Flowers of India.
  3. ^ "State Symbols of Tripura | Tripura Tourism Development Corporation Ltd". tripuratourism.gov.in. Retrieved 2017-04-28.