Botanical name: Xylocarpus granatum    Family: Meliaceae (Neem family)
Synonyms: Xylocarpus obovatus

Cannonball Mangrove is a small mangrove tree growing 3-12 meters high. Leaves are abruptly pinnate, with pairs of leaflets which are elliptic or obovate, 8-18 cm long, 4-8 cm wide, with a pointed base and rounded tip. Flowers are small, white, 4-parted, borne on short terminal or axillary panicles. Fruit is very large, spherical, 9-12 cm in diameter, with 6 to 12 seeds. Pericarp is hard and fibrous, splitting into 4 valves. Seeds are angled, with a spongy integument. The wood is used in boat building, furniture and as fuel; bark for tanning. Cannonball Mangrove is globally widespread. In India it is found in Andhra Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal.

Medicinal uses: Roots are used as a treatment for cholera and dysentery. The oil extracted from seeds has been used as an illuminant as well as a hair oil.

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The flower labeled Cannonball Mangrove is ...