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Baheda
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Baheda
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Baheda, Belliric Myrobalan, Bastard myrobalan, Beach almond, Bedda nut tree • Hindi: बहेड़ा bahera, बहुवीर्य bahuvirya, भूतवास bhutvaas, कल्क kalk, कर्षफल karshphal • Manipuri: ꯕꯍꯦꯔꯥ Bahera • Marathi: बेहडा behada, बिभीतक bibhītaka, कलिद्रुम kalidruma, वेहळा vehala • Tamil: தான்றி tanri • Malayalam: താന്നി thaanni • Telugu: భూతావాసము bhutavasamu, కర్షఫలము karshaphalamu, తాడి tadi, తాండ్రచెట్టు tandrachettu, విభీతకము vibhitakamu • Kannada: ತಾಱಿ, ತಾರಿ Taari, ತಾಱೆ,ತಾರೆ Taare, ತಾರೆಕಾಯಿ Taarekaayi • Bengali: বহেড়া baheda • Oriya: bahada • Konkani: goting • Urdu: Bahera • Assamese: bauri • Gujarati: બહેડા baheda • Khasi: Dieng rinyn • Sanskrit: अक्षः akshah, बहुवीर्य bahuvirya, बिभीतकः bibhitakah, कर्षः karshah, विभीतकः vibhitakah • Nepali: बर्रो barro • Mizo: Thingvandawt
Botanical name: Terminalia bellirica    Family: Combretaceae (Rangoon creeper family)
Synonyms: Myrobalanus bellirica
Baheda is a tall handsome tree, with characteristic bark, 12-50 m tall. Leaves are alternately arranged or fascicled at the end of branches, elliptic or elliptic obovate, leathery, dotted, entire. Leaf tip is narrow- pointed or rounded. Leaves are 8-20 cm long, 7.5-15 cm wide, on stalks 2.15 cm long. Flowers arise in spikes in leaf axils, 5-15 cm long. Flowers are greenish yellow, 5-6 mm across, stalklesse, upper flowers of the spike are male, lower flowers are bisexual. Stamens are 3-4 mm long. Fruit is obovoid 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter, covered with minute pale pubescence, stone very thick, indistinctly 5 angled.
Medicinal uses: In traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Baheda is known as "Bibhitaki;" in its fruit form it is used in the popular Indian herbal rasayana treatment triphala. This species is used by some tribes in the Indian subcontinent for its mind-altering qualities - they smoke dried kernels. Too much of this can cause nausea and vomiting.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed in Maharashtra.
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