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Oriental Purpleberry
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Oriental Purpleberry
ative Photo: Shaista Ahmad
Common name: Oriental Purpleberry • Hindi: Nalbila • Marathi: Ranabili, Gudmai • Tamil: Puilipan cheddi • Malayalam: Kaipanarangi, Potti, Pulippanchedi • Kannada: Narsullu, ಸಿತ್ತುಂಡೆ Sittunde, ಚೇಡುಬೀರ Chedubeera, ಸಿಡಿಗೋಲು Sidigolu, ಹನುಮಂತತೊಪ್ಪಲು Hanumanta toppal, Karbe • Urdu: Ranabili • Nepali: पैरेती Pairetee, असारे Asaare, बुगाइनो Bugaaino, काली गेडी Kaalee Gedee, खटिरे Khatire, मास गेडा Maas Gedaa
Botanical name: Cipadessa baccifera    Family: Meliaceae (Neem family)
Synonyms: Melia baccifera, Cipadessa fruticosa

Oriental Purpleberry is a shrub 1-4 m tall, with coarse bark. Young branches are grayish brown, ribbed, and covered with yellow velvety hairs and sparse grayish white lenticels. Leaves are compound, 8-30 cm long, with leaf-stalk and spine either hairless or yellow velvety. Leaflets are usually 9-13, opposite, ovate to ovoid-oblong, 3.5-10 × 1.5-5 cm. Flowers are born in clusters 8-15 cm long. Flowers are white, 3-4 mm in diameter. Flower stalks are 1-1.5 mm long. Sepal cup is short, yellow velvety outside. Sepals are broadly triangular. Petals are white or yellow, linear to oblong-elliptic, 2-3.5 mm, outside covered with sparse appressed velvety hairs. Stamens are shorter than petals, with hairy filaments. Fruit is purple to black when mature, round, 4-5 mm in diameter. Oriental Purpleberry is found in Indian Subcontinent to S. China and W. & Central Malesia. Flowering: April-October.
Medicinal uses: Leaves have powerful anti venom properties, especially for the treatment of cobra poison. Juice of the root is given in cases of indigestion. It is also used in treating cough and cold. A paste of bark is pressed against the teeth for about 15 mins to relieve bleeding and swelling of gums.

Identification credit: Navendu Pāgé, Shaista Ahmad Photographed at Cauvery riverside, Bangalore & Kannavam, Kerala.

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