Common Name: Ceylon tea. Tamil Name: Kanniramaram
Evergreen tree of Sri Lankan origin grows to a height of about 12-13 meters. The bark is gray in color and smooth in appearance. The simple leaves are arranged in an opposite decussate manner. The leaf shape is oval, young leaves may have a round shape. The base is obtuse and tip is acute; leaf margin is serrate. The leaf stalk measurers around 1.5 cm. All parts of the tree are glabrous. The leaf length measure around 7.2-4.5 cm. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary branched cyme. The inflorescence stalk measure around 2.2 cm; flower stalk measure around 5 mm. The flower has five petals (each petal separate) which are green in color and measure around 3 mm each. The five stamens are arranged around the disk of the flower. The fruit is in the form of a drupe with a single seed. Ceylon tea is harvested for its medicinal properties. It is an handsome evergreen tree suitable to be planted in gardens and also as avenue tree. Not a common tree around Coimbatore area. Ceylon tea tree is rarely used as an ornamental tree, probably because it is slow growing.
