MANILKARA HEXANDRA

Common name: Ceylon Iron Wood, milk tree, wedge-leaved ape flower • Hindi: दृढ़ drirh, खिरनी khirni, क्षीरी kshiri, रायन rayan • Marathi: करणी karani, खिरणी khirni, राजण rajana, रांजण ranjana, रायण rayan, रायणी rayani • Tamil: உலக்கைப்பாலை ulakkai-p-palai • Malayalam: കൃണി krini, പഴമുന്പാല pazhamunpaala • Telugu: అంకాలు ankalu, నందివృక్షము nandivriqshamu, పాలచెట్టు palachettu • Kannada: bakula • Bengali: krikhiyur • Konkani: कर्णी karni, रांजण ranjana • Gujarati: ખિર્ની khirni, રાયન rayan •Sanskrit: क्षीरिणी kshirini, निम्बबिज nimbabija, राजादन rajadana

Botanical name: Manilkara hexandra   

Family: Sapotaceae (Mahua family)

Synonyms: Mimusops hexandra

Geographical Distribution-

This tree is found in central india & deccan peninsula

Introduction: Ceylon Iron Wood is a tree or a shrub, 3-12 m tall, with gray bark and smooth branchlets. Alternately arranged leaves are often closely clustered towards the end of branchlets, with conspicuous scars. Leaf-stalks are 0.8-2 cm. Leaf blade is obovate to obovate-elliptic, 5-10 x 3-7 cm, both surfaces smooth, base broadly wedge-shaped to obtuse. Flowers areise in fascicles in leaf axils. Pedicel is thick, 1-1.8 cm. Sepals are ovate- triangular, 3-4 mm, yellowish gray velvety. Flowers are white or light yellow, about 4 mm. Petals are oblong, about 3 mm. Berry is obovoid-oblong to ellipsoid, 1-1.5 cm, 1- or 2-seeded. Seeds about 1 cm.

Cultivation Collection-

Khirni is cultivated on a small scale in especially near big cities where there exists a good market for the fruits.  Suitable temperature range of khirni tree is 10-38⁰c and most fruit tree prefers a soil which has pH between ranges 6.0-7.0.  Fruit trees grow best in well drained soil with a sandy,loamy texture. They also need deep soil to support their deep root system.

Chemical Constituents:

Bark contain triterpenoidsaponin and B-sitosterol, leaves contain sterols, volatile oil,tannis,cinnamic acid, hentriacon tane , teraxerol, & quercitol. Seeds contain saponin 1 ,saponin 2, saponin 3 , gallic acid, myrecetin, quercetin, unsaponifiable lipids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, triterpene & sterols. Fruits contain triterpene alcohols & roots contain a & b amyrins, taraxerol a-spinasterol.

Medicinal uses-

It is use for treatment of wide range of disease. Its bark is especially useful in treating gum problems & dental disorders such as bleeding gums, gum inflammation. The bark is used to treat fever, gas, stomsch disorders, joundice, deworming etc. decoction of bark is used for treatment of dysentery ,diarrhea & bodyache. Root is used in headache & a leaf is used in asthma. Fruits are used to treat arthritis, blood purifier, heat burning, and digestive disorder. Seed is useful in ulcers & the opacity of the cornea.

Flowering: August-December