Common Name: Batio, Hard Alstonia.
Batio is not a common tree to our area, it grows to a height of about 25 meters. The tree has a columnar shape with side branches held close to the central trunk. The bark is light grey in color and smooth. The plant starts to flower even when it is around shrub size and has a milky latex. The leafs are arranged in whorls, but not as predominantly as in A. Scholaris. The plant is native to South-East Asia, it has been introduced into India. The leafs are oval in shape and can measure around 16-50 cm in length; the leaf breath can be 5-15 cm. The leaf is pointed at both ends. The inflorescence is in the form of an cyme. The flowers are fragrant, tubular, white in color and bisexual. The flower measurers around 9 mm across. Unlike flowers of A Scholaris which emit foul smell the flowers of Batio are fragrant. The fruit is in the form of a dark greenish follicle measuring around 30 cm, which turn brown on maturity. The seeds are winged and wind dispersed.
Batio may be mistaken for Holarrhena pubescens , however the latter is a shrub. The flowers of H pubescens are larger, measuring around 2.5 to 5 cm across. Another Apocynaceae member which resembles Batio is Wrightia sp. In the case of Wrightia the stamens are prominently visible on the flower surface. In the case of Batio it is well within the flower tube. Batio is a large tree suitable for large gardens and landscapes. However, some apprehension are there regarding its invasiveness.
