Apple Mangrove
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Common name: Apple Mangrove, Crabapple mangrove
Botanical name: Sonneratia caseolaris
Family: Sonneratiaceae (apple mangrove family)
Apple mangrove is a small evergree tree, upto 8.0 m high, numerous branches, woody, erect, branches horizontal, twig slender. Leaves are about 7 cm long, rounded and opposite each other on the branches. The tips of the leaves are slightly turned under. Sonneratia alba has white flowers while Sonneratia caseolaris has red flowers. Sepal tube is green with 6 valvular lobes. There are 6 red petals, which are overshadowed by long showy, numerous stamens, which are white, but reddish at the base. Flowers only open for one night and have an offensive smell. The fruit are large (4 cm wide) green, leathery berries with a star-shaped base. When ripe, the fruits are eaten raw or cooked.
Medicinal uses: Fermented fruit juice is said to be useful in arresting haemorrhage. The wall of an old fruit is given as a vermifuge. The juice of half-ripe fruit is used to treat coughs. The juice of the flowers enters into a compound for treating blood in the urine. Photographed in Maharashtra.
Identification credit: Pravin Kawale
