Neolitsea cassia

Neolitsea cassia is a species of tree in the family Lauraceae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known as "dawulu kurundu - දවුල් කුරුදු" or "kudu dawula - කුඩු දවුල" in Sinhala.

Neolitsea cassia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Neolitsea
Species:	N. cassia
Binomial name
Neolitsea cassia (L.), Kosterm.

Trunk

Bark - thick, smooth, gray; W- light, hard, pale orange.

Ecology

Montane and rain forest understory.

Uses

Wood - panelling; leaves- mucilaginous extract used in preparation of local sweet called aasmi; bark, leaves - medicinal.

Identification

Straight stem with greyish bark and short, slender branches. The leaf flush is smooth, silvery copper, drooping, crowded at the ends of branchlets, and turn bright green when mature. Leaves are lanceolate in shape with a slightly pointed base and a tapering pointed apex, about 6–18 cm long and 1.5–4 cm broad. The three veins beginning from the base are prominent, but the lateral veins are faint on the upper surface. The petiole appears as channeled above. Pale yellow flowers are seen in small clusters borne on short branchlets on the internodes. Male and female flowers are distinguishable. The fruit is dark purple, ovoid in shape, about 1.0 cm in size with a ring-like cap at the base.

References

• http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/263496
• De Silva, S.Shyamali M.; Kumar, N.Savitri; Åman, Per (1986). "Structural studies of an arabinoxylan isolated from the leaves of neolitsea cassia". Carbohydrate Research. 152: 229–236. doi:10.1016/S0008-6215(00)90302-1.
• http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/tro-50148283