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Sultan Champa
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Sultan Champa
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Beauty Leaf, Alexandrian laurel, Ball tree, Beach calophyllum, Domba oil tree, Indian laurel, Mast wood, Oilnut tree, Pinnay oil tree, Red poon • Assamese: তেল Telo • Bengali: পুন্নাগ Punnaga • Hindi: सुलतान चम्पा Sultan Champa, सुरपुन Surpun • Kannada: ಹೊನ್ನೆ Honne, ಹೂಹೊನ್ನೆ Huhonne, ನಮೇರು ಮರ Nameru Mara, ಪಿನ್ನೇಕಾಯಿ Pinnaykaayi, ಪೊನ್ನೆ Ponne, ಪುನ್ನಾಗ Punnaga, ಸುಡಾಬು ಮರ Sudaabu Mara, ಸುರಹೊನ್ನೆ Surahonne, ಊಮ ಗಿಡ Uuma Gida, ವೋಮ Voma, ಇರೈ Irai • Konkani: उंडी Undi, ಉಂಡೀರೂಕು Undiruku, उंगम Ungam • Malayalam: പുന്ന Punna • Marathi: पुन्नाग Punnaga, उंडी Undi • Odia: କାମ୍ବୋଜ Kamboja, ନାଗ ପୁଷ୍ପ Naga Pushpa, ସୁର ତରୁ Sura Taru • Sanskrit: काम्बोज Kamboja, नमेरु Nameru, पञ्चकेशर Panchakeshara, पुन्नाग Punnaga, पुरुष Purusha, तुङ्ग Tunga • Tamil: நமேரு Nameru, புன்னை Punnai, புருடம் Purutam • Telugu: నామేరు Naameru, పొన్న Ponna, పున్నాగ Punnaga • Tulu: ಪೊನ್ನೆಥ ಮರ Ponnetha Mara • Urdu: سرپن Surpun Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Calophyllum inophyllum   Family: Calophyllaceae (Beautyleaf family)

Sultan Champa is a beautiful large evergreen tree native to southern coastal India, East Africa, Malaysia and Australia. It is a low-branching and slow-growing tree with a broad and irregular crown. It usually reaches 8 to 20 m in height. The tree supports a dense canopy of glossy, elliptical leaves. The very fragrant white flowers are 25 mm across and occur in racemose or paniculate inflorescences consisting of 4 to 15 flowers. The flowers have snow-white petals with a thick center of yellow stamens. The fragrant flowers have been prized as an adornment and as a perfume. The fruit (the ballnut) is a round, green drupe reaching 2 to 4 cm in diameter and having a single large seed. When ripe, the fruit is wrinkled and its color varies from yellow to brownish-red. This tree often grows in coastal regions as well as nearby lowland forests. However it has also been cultivated successfully in inland areas at moderate altitudes.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed at Burondi & Malgund, Maharashtra.

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