FoI
Headache Tree
Share Foto info
Headache Tree
ative Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Headache Tree • Assamese: গণিয়ৰী Goniyori, কৰ্ণিকা Kornika • Bengali: ভূত-ভৈরবী Bhuta-Bhairabi, গনিয়ারি Ganiari • Gujarati: મોટી અરણી Moti Arani, નરવેલ Narvel • Hindi: अगेथा Agetha, अरणी Arani, मथन Mathan, पावक Pawak, तेजोमन्थ Tejo-Manth, वैजयन्ती Vaijayanti, विद्या Vidya • Kannada: ಅಗ್ನಿಮಂಥ Agnimantha, ಬಾಚಣಿಗೆ ಮರ Baachanige Mara, ನರವಲು Naravalu • Karbi: An-Kelok • Khasi: Dieng-Lah-Marwai • Konkani: खारो नरवेल Kharo Narvel • Malayalam: അരണി Arani, കോഴിച്ചെടി Kozhichedi, മുഞ്ഞ Munja • Marathi: अरणि Arani, गणिकारिका Ganikarika, नरवेल Narvel, रानटाकळी Ranatakali • Mishing: Pitang-Asing • Nepali: गिनेरि Gineri • Nyishi: Parla-Pipi • Odia: ଅଗ୍ନିମନ୍ଥ Agnimantha, ବହ୍ନିମନ୍ଥ Bahnimantha, ବସନ୍ତଦୂତିକା Basantadutika, ଭୁତଅଇରି Bhutaairi, ବିଡ୍ୟା Bidya, ବିକ୍ରାନ୍ତା Bikranta, ବୃହଚ୍ଚକ୍ରମେଦ Bruhachchakrameda, ଗନ୍ଧପୁଷ୍ପା Gandhapushpa, ଗଣିକାରିକା Ganikarika, ହବିର୍ମନ୍ଥ Habirmantha, ହରିବଲ୍ଲଭା Hariballabha, ହରିମନ୍ଥ Harimantha, କର୍ଣ୍ଣିକା Karnnika, ଲଘୁ ମନ୍ଥ Laghu Mantha, ମଥନ Mathana, ନାଦେୟୀ Nadeyi, ପାବକ Pabaka, ଶରଣୀ Sharani, ଶ୍ରୀପର୍ଣ୍ଣୀ Shriparnni • Sanskrit: अग्निमन्थ Agni-Mantha, अलिमोद Ali-Moda, अरणि Arani, अरणीकेतु Araniketu, भूमिजम्बु Bhumijambu, गन्धपुष्पा Gandha-Puspa, गणिकारी Ganikari, हरिमन्थ Hari-Mantha, हविर्मन्थ Havir-Mantha, जया Jaya, ज्योतिष्क Jyotiska, कनकपुष्पिका Kanaka-Puspika, कणिका Kanika, कर्णिका Karnika, क्षुद्रग्निमन्थ Ksudragni-Mantha, लघुमन्थ Laghu-Mantha, मथन Mathana, नादेयी Nadeyi, नदीजात Nadi-Jata, नीलपत्त्रा Nilapattra, पावक Pavaka, पावकरणि Pavakarani, श्रीपर्णी Sriparni, तनुत्वच Tanu-Tvaca, तपन Tapana, तर्कारी Tarkari, तेजोमन्थ Tejo-Mantha, वह्निमन्थ Vahni-Mantha, वैजयन्ती Vaijayanti, वशा Vasa, विद्या Vidya, विजया Vijaya • Tamil: பசுமுன்னை Pacu-Munnai, தலைவலி மரம் Talaivali Maram • Telugu: భైరవి Bhairavi, గబ్బు నెల్లి Gabbunelli, కణిక Kanika, కర్ణిక Karnika, నగుర Nagura, నెల్లి చెట్టు Nelli Chettu, పిన్నెల్లి Pinnanelli, తక్కడు Thakkadu • Tulu: ಕೆಲೆಂಜಿ ತಪ್ಪು Kelenji Thappu, ನರ್ವೋಲ್ Narvolu • Urdu: متهن Mathan, پاوك Pawak, تيجومنتهہ Tejo-Manth, ويجينتي Vaijayanti, وديا Vidya Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Premna serratifolia    Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Synonyms: Premna obtusifolia

Headache Tree is an evergreen shrub, 1-8 m tall. Bark is grayish brown, branches and branchlets bluntly four-edged, slightly velvet-hairy and hairless when mature. Leaves are simple opposite, oblong-ovate or ovate-elliptic, 6-18 x 3-6.5 cm across, base rounded or blunt, margins entire or slightly wavy, tip shallow tapering, papery, dark green hairless above, slightly paler, velvet-hairy on the veins beneath, lateral veins 5-7 on either side of the midvein, veins arcuate at margins impressed above and prominent beneath, leaf-stalk slender, stout, channeled about 2-4 cm long, exstipulate. Flowers are borne at branch-ends, in corymbs, symmetrically branched, composed of 4-8 decussate opposite cymes, velvet-hairy, about 4-11 x 5-16 cm across, flower-cluster-stalks velvet-hairy, bluntly four-edged, about 1-4 cm long, bracts linear lanceshaped, about 1 cm long, bractlets linear about 5 mm long, Flowers are numberous, bisexual, zygomorphic, flower-stalks about 1 mm long, sepal-cup cup-shaped, 5 toothed, 2 lipped, about 2 x 2 mm across, teeth pointed. Flowers are funnel-shaped, 4 lobed, 2 lipped, lobes subequal, oblong, blunt about 2 mm long, hairless outside, greenish white, flower tube about 3 x 2 mm across, densely velvet-hairy in the throat, stamens 4, didynamous, filaments hairless, thread-like, hairless, about 3-4 mm long, style thread-like, about 5 mm long. Fruit is fleshy, almost spherical, 2-3 mm in diameter, green and purplish black when ripe, fruiting sepal-cup saucer shaped, membranous. Flowering: April-October.

Identification credit: Shrikant Ingalhalikar Photographed in Achara, Malvan, Maharashtra.

• Is this flower misidentified? If yes,