Myrica esculenta Buch.

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CLASSIFICATION

ORDER : Fagales
FAMILY : Myricaceae
GENUS : Myrica
SPECIES : esculenta
BOTANICAL NAME : Myrica esculenta Buch,-Ham.ex D.Don
SYNONYMS : ---
COMMON NAME : Himalayan Bayberry
TAMIL NAME : Chavviyaci
HINDI NAME : Kaiphal

PLANT DESCRIPTION

HABIT:  Trees evergreen, dioecious, usually (2-)4-10 m tall; trunk to 40 cm d.b.h.; bark gray. Branchlets and buds tomentose.
LEAVES:  Petiole 0.3-2 cm, pubescent to tomentose; leaf blade narrowly elliptic-obovate or lanceolate-obovate to cuneate-obovate, 4-18 × 1.5-4.5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green, dark punctate, occasionally sparsely golden glandular, adaxially dark green, rarely glandular, pubescent along midvein, base cuneate, margin entire or sometimes serrate in apical 1/2, apex obtuse to acute.
FLOWER:  Male inflorescences much branched, erect or pendulous at apex, 4-9 cm; individual spikelets to ca. 1 cm; peduncle densely pubescent; bracts overlapping, ciliate and usually golden glandular. Male flowers without bracteoles. Stamens 3-7; anthers red, ellipsoid. Female inflorescences erect, 1-3.5 cm, many flowered; flowers in short, axillary fascicles well spaced at maturity; rachis densely pubescent and golden glandular; bracts ciliate, golden glandular. Female flowers with 2 bracteoles, ciliate and golden glandular. Ovary velutinous; stigmas 2, bright red.
FRUIT:  Drupes many per infructescence, red at maturity, usually ellipsoid, papilliferous.

MEDICINAL USES

Myrica esculenta (Myricaceae) is a popular medicinal plant most commonly found in the sub-tropical Himalayas.
It is widely used in folk medicine to treat several ailments such as asthma, cough, chronic bronchitis, ulcers, inflammation, anemia, fever, diarrhea, and ear, nose, and throat disorders.

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