Botanica Name - Bombax ceiba L.

Common Name  – Semal

Classification –

• Kingdom – plantae

• Division – Magnoliophyta

• Class – Magnoliopsida

• Order – Malvales

• Family – Malvaceae

• Genus – Bombax

• Species – ceiba

Characteristics Of Family Malvaceae

This is also called Mallow family .Stellate hairs on the young parts, mucilaginous juice present, leaves alternate, stipulate, multicostate reticulate; inflorescence solitary or cyme; flower actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, hypogynous, pentamerous, with epicalyx, calyx free or united, corolla free; stamens indefinite, monadelphous; anthers monothecous, stamens united to form a tube; gynoecium many often five, syncarpous, ovary multilocular, superior, axile placentation; fruit schizocarpic carcerulus or capsule.

Habitat -  Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests also in the plains .  ccasionally found in plains from the coast ,on the deciduous belt of the hills to 1400m. 

Distribution – India , Assam , Bihar , Kerala , Madhya Pradesh , Maharastra , Odisha .

Status – Least concern

Plant description –

Habit  10-30m tall, perennial, large-sized, deciduous tree.Stem Woody, solid, erect, columnar trunk, grey, glabrous bark with hard conical black prickles, delicate branches cylindrical, glabrous, smooth with distinct nodes and internodes.

Leaves  Compound, digitate, leaflets 2-7, dorsiventral, entire, unicostate reticulate venation, oval or lanceolate, acute at the base, with a sharp point at the apex, petiolate, stipulate, alternate, pentastichous.

Inflorescence solitary or cluster of several extra-axillary flowers. Flower solitary, paired or clustered; blood red. Fruit an oblong, 4-5" long, loculicidal capsule.Seeds Gglabrous, with wooly fibrous outgrowths of silky hairs.

Uses

• The flowers are astringent and refrigerant. They are used to treat cutaneous troubles.

• The young roots are diuretic and tonic. They are used in the treatment of cholera, tubercular fistula, coughs, urinary complaints, nocturnal pollution, abdominal pain due to dysentery, and impotency.

• The gum is astringent, demulcent and tonic It is used in the treatment of dysentery, haemoptysis in pulmonary tuberculosis, influenza and menorrhagia.

• The leaves are hypotensive and hypoglycaemic. A decotion of the shoots have reputedly been used to treat ulcers of the palate, syphilis, leprosy and spider or snake bites.

• An oil obtained from the seed is used to make soap and for illumination etc. It can be used as a substitute for cottonseed oil.

• The fibrous bark is used for making ropes.

• An extract of the flowers is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a humectants