Page 90 - RUT Publisher
P. 90
Life Science Research and Sustainable Development ISBN: 978-98-84663-33-9
chlorophyll while secondary constituents consists of alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids and
flavonoids, so on (Dhawale 2013).
The present study has been performed on some medicinal plants, Neolamarckia cadamba is
large tree with a broad umbrella-shaped crown and straight cylindrical bole. The branches are
characteristically arranged in tiers. The tree may reach a height of 45 m with a stem diameter of
100–160 cm and sometimes it has a small buttress up to 2 m high. The bark is grey, smooth and
very light in young trees, but rough and longitudinally fissured in old trees. The branches spread
horizontally and drop at the tip. The leaves are glossy green, opposite, simple sessile to petiolate,
ovate to elliptical (15–50 cm long by 8–25 cm wide). In young fertilised trees, the leaves are much
larger, subordinate at base and acuminate at apex; the stipules are interpetiolar, narrowly
triangular and deciduous. The fruitlets are numerous, somewhat fleshy, with their upper parts
containing 4 hollow or solid structures. The fruit occurs in small, fleshy capsules packed closely
together to form a fleshy yellow-orange infructescence containing approximately 8000 seeds. The
seeds somewhat are trigonal or irregular shaped, not winged (Kanninen 2011).
Bombax ceiba is deciduous trees 10-30 m tall; bark grey, glabrous; prickles conical, black.
Leaves crowded at the ends of branches, digitate; leaflets 5-7, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-
lanceolate, 5-23 x 1.5-9 cm, glabrous; petioles 12-20 cm long; petiolules 1-2.5 cm long; stipules
small, triangular, caducous. Flowers appearing before the new leaves, 8-14 cm across, sessile,
crowded at the ends of branches. Calyx often 3-lobed, 1.5-2 cm long; lobes roundee, glabrous
outside, densely silky within. Corolla bright red, tomentose outside; petals elliptic-oblong, 5-7 cm
long. Sta¬mens about half as long as the corolla; filaments flattened. Ovary conical, glabrous;
style longer than the stamens; stigmas 5, linear. Capsules woody, ellipsoid, 10-12 cm long, 5-
valved, thinly white silky. Seeds ovoid, 10-12 mm long, embedded in white silky cotton (Naik
1998).
Boswellia serrata is middle sized trees with thin papery ash - coloured bark. Leaves odd
pinnate, 10-30 cm long; leaflets 8-15 pairs; opposite, subsessile, ovate - oblong, 2-6 X 1-3 cm,
oblique at base, crenate - serrate, obtuse, pubescent. Flowers 8-10 mm across, in axillary racemes
shorter than the leaves. Calyx pubescent outside; lobes broadly triangular - ovate, 2-3 mm long.
Petals dull or greenish - white, ovate, 5 mm long, pubescent outside. Stamens inserted at base of
red, annular crenate disk. Ovary ovoid, sunk into the disk; style long. Drupes trigonous - ovoid,
1.5 - 2 cm long, pale green. Pyrenes compressed, heart – shaped (Naik 1998).
Ceiba pentandra is tall trees with smooth, green stem and horizontally spreading whorled
branches. Leaves digitate; leaflets 5-9, lanceolate, 5-12 cm long, cuspidate, green above, glaucous
beneath; petioles 10-15 cm long; petiolules 2-3 mm long. Flowers 3-5 cm across, clustered in the
leaf axils; pedicels 2-4 cm long. Calyx 1.2-2 cm long,5-lobed, glabrous outside, hairy.within; lobes
triangular-ovate. Corolla dull white or pinkish; petals obovate-oblong, 3.5-4 cm long, woolly
outside. Anthers sinuous. Ovary conical, 1.5-2 cm long, glabrous. Capsules fusiform, 3.5-4 cm
long, hairy. Seeds pyriform, 5-6 mm long, black, embedded in silky wool (Naik 1998).
Cordia dichotoma moderate-sized, deciduous trees up to 10 m tall; bark dark-coloured,
rough, fissured; young parts pubescent. Leaves alternate, ovate, elliptic or orbicular, 4-9 x 3-5.5
cm. rounded, cordate or shortly cuneate at base, entire or sinuate dentate, obtuse, scabrous above,
glabrous beneath. Flowers polygamous (male and bisexual), in large, lax, terminal and axillary,
pedunculate cy- mose panicles; peduncles 2-5 cm long; pedicels short. Calyx 4-6 mm long,
glabrous outside, pubescent within; teeth 5, shallow. Corolla white; tube as long as the calyx;
lobes oblong, obtuse or emarginate, recurved, as long as the tube. Drupes globose or ovoid, 1-2.5
https://jesjalna.org/Zoology-Publications/index.html 82 Department of Zoology, J. E. S. College, Jalna

