Calophyllum inophyllum
Calophyllum inophyllum common names:
Sultan Champa,
Alexandrian laurel,
ball tree,
beauty leaf,
domba oil tree,
Indian laurel,
oil nut tree,
pinnay oil tree,
red poon etc
Calophyllaceae, is a beautiful large evergreen tree native to southern coastal India.
The flowers have snow-white petals with a thick center of yellow stamens.
The fragrant flowers have been prized as an adornment and as a perfume.
The mature fruit is poisonous enough to use as rat bait.
The seeds yield a thick, dark green tamanu oil for medicinal use or hair grease.
The nuts are dried before cracking, after which the oil-laden kernel is removed and further dried.
The first neoflavone isolated from natural sources was calophyllolide from C. inophyllum seeds.
Surendra Parihar