Common Name: Black oil plant, Intellect plant. Tamil Name: Kuvarikuntal
Black oil plant is a woody shrub with climbing tendency and grows to a height of about 6 meters. The plant is occasionally seen along rocky mountain slopes of Nilgiri and Valpari ghat road. The lenticulate bark is light grey colored. The leaf stalk and leaf length are around 1.1 cm and 6 cm respectively. The leaf is light green in color and leaf margin is mildly crenulate. The leaves are oval in shape and have a tapering base and an acute to acuminate apex. The inflorescence is in the form of a terminal panicle which can extend to 15 cm. The flower measure around 6 mm across and have five greenish-cream colored petals. The flower has 5 sepals. The male and female plants are different (dioecious). The fruit is in the form of a loculicidal capsule about 1 cm across, three seeds are found with red aril. Black oil plant is an important medicinal plant in Ayurvedic medicine. It is called Jyotishmati. It is used as an anti-arthritic and also as a wound healer. The seed oil is used as a brain tonic.
