Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi)
May 5, 2008 — Vasant M. SalianSpanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi) is a lovely green small tree of the Indian subcontinent. With its small shiny, thick, narrow, pointed leaves, straight trunk and spreading branches, it is a prized ornamental specimen because it provides a dense shade and during the months from March to July fills the night air with the delicious heady aroma of its tiny cream coloured flowers. Flowers are small, star-shaped, yellowish white in colour, with a crown rising from the centre. Oval leaves, wavy at margin, about 5-16 cm and 3-7 cm wide. In the morning the fragrant flowers which so graciously scented their surroundings with their deep, rich, fragrance during the evening hours, fall to the ground.
It is used in the treatment and maintenance of oral hygiene. Rinsing mouth with water solution made with bakul helps in strengthening the teeth. It also prevents bad breath and helps keep the gums healthy.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Ericales
Family : Sapotaceae
Genus : Mimusops
Species : Mimusops elengi
Pronunciation/Meaning:
- Mimusops (my-MOO-sops)
- elengi (EL-en-gee)
Common Names:
- Spanish Cherry, Bullet Wood (English)
- Maulsari (Hindi)
- Bakuli (Marathi)
- Magizhamboo (Tamil)
- Ilanni (Malayalam)
- Ranjal (Kannada)
- Bokul lei (Manipuri)
- Barsoli (Gujarati)
- Omval (Konkani)
- Bakul (Bengali)
- Kirakuli (Urdu)
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