May 8, 2023

The Blackboard tree (Alstonia scholaris), locally known as Indian Pulai

Alstonia scholaris commonly known as the Devil's tree or the Blackboard tree is named after Dr. Charles Alston, a botanist from Edinburgh. It is also called the Blackboard tree as it's wood was used to make blackboards and slates for students. This is why the specific name scholaris. In some universities in India a leaf of this tree is gifted to graduates on their graduation ceremony as a symbol of scholarship along with their certificate.

The tree is also known by the name Saptparni (sapta means seven and parni means leaf), referring to the occurrence of leaves in bunches of seven.)
The evergreen plant is a medium to tall tree having a straight trunk with pagoda branching, the leaves are arranged in a whorl, and have copious white sap when broken. Injured bark also exudes milky latex hence the common name milkwood pine.
The flowers have strong heady fragrance and greenish white in color and borne in tightly clustered inflorescences. They are rich in nectar and popular with insects and butterflies who help with the pollination.
Fruits are elongated bean shaped and occur in pairs. The seeds are flat, oblong and have tufts of silky hairs attached to both ends, to aid in dispersal by wind.

The tree bark is dark brown and is known as the Dita bark or bitter bark and is used in traditional medicine as substitute for quinine to treat malaria; also used as astringent against bowel problems like abdominal pains, chronic diarrhoea and advanced dysentry. Also treats toothaches and snakebites. Leaves are used as remedy against beri-beri.
The wood of the tree is very soft and lightweight and is used for making floats, corks, coffins, matchsticks, writing or carving tablets and utensils.
Latex makes a good quality chewing gum, and used as glue by Australian Aborigines to stick feathers to skin.
The tree is a major plant for apiculture since the flowers attract a lot of bees and the long branches make ideal space for bee hives .
It is considered to be the devil's abode in some tribal cultures who believe it inauspicious to sit or walk under these trees specially at night. This may be probably due to the intoxicating fragrance of the flowers, and also the reason for the common name Devil's tree.
The sap and latex of the tree is toxic and should not be consumed as such.

Alstonia scholaris closely resembles the native Alstonia angustiloba which has slighty smaller stipule-less leaves (6-14cm long), shorter fruit pods (25cm long), white glabrous flowers (flowers of Alstonia scholaris have pubescent petals) and paler grey bark (bark of Alstonia scholaris is smooth, dark brown).

Scientific name: Alstonia scholaris
Common name: Blackboard tree, Devil's tree, Indian Pulai, White Cheesewood, Milkwood Pine, Bitter Bark
Family: Apocynaceae
Native Distribution: Indian subcontinent, Southern China, Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tropical Australia

Reference 

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