Black siris

The scientific name of Black siris: Albizia odorattissima Benth.

Synonyms: Acacia odorattissima Willd., Mimos odorattissima L.

Name of Black siris in different languages:-

Hindi: Kala siris

Sanskrit: Bhusirisah

Malayalam: Karivaka

Tamil: Karuvakai, Sittilavakai

Plant description:

It is a medium sized tree and is distributed throughout India, drought resistant, commonly grown in tropical and subtropical areas. It is an unarmed tree, about 20 m height with dark colored young shoots and grey, rough, and irregularly cracked barks. Leaves are abruptly pinnate, alternately arranged, the main rachis with a gland on the top side near its base part, at the base of the first two pairs of the pinnae, leaflets are unequal, rounded or semi cordate at the base, obtuse or rounded at the apex, dark green, slightly pubescent above. The flowers are white, aromatic, sessile, many in small globose 5 to 10 or more flowered heads, spreading panicles. Fruits are shortly stalked pods, brown, and slightly reticulate veined. Calyx 1.25 mm long, pubescent; corolla white, 4 mm long, grey silky outside. Stamens twice as long as the corolla; filaments pale yellow, connate at the base into a tube half as long as the corolla tube. Seeds flat, yellow.

Useful plant parts: Bark, root, wood, leaves

Medicinal uses: To treat ulcers, leprosy, skin diseases, bronchitis, burning sensation

Chemical content: Stem: dark brown insoluble gum in the form of rounded tears; heartwood: d-O-penta-methyl-dihydromelanoxetin; seed: two triterpenic acids, machacrinic acid.

Medicinal properties: Bark is Astringent, Antidermatic, Antidiabetic and Expectorant