Common name: Axelwood tree. Tamil name: Vel-maram, Namai.
Axelwood tree is native to India and is a deciduous tree that grows to around 15 meters in height. It has a straight trunk and the bark is pale-grey. Young parts of the plant are rusty the entire tree has a distinct yellowish-wash look. The leafs are arranged in an alternate/sub-opposite manner. The branches droop down from above bearing flowers in stalkless globose heads. The calyx elements which form the flower are yellow-cream in color and they arise from the leaf nodes. The fruit is in the form of a dry drupe. The seeds are winged. The tree is as firewood and also provides important dyes. In Ayurveda the plant is used to produce cardiac tonic. Not a common tree in Coimbatore.
