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| − | {{Italic title}}
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| | |name = Ceylon ironwood | | |name = Ceylon ironwood |
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| − | '''''Mesua ferrea''''', the '''Sri Lankan ironwood''', '''Indian rose chestnut''', or '''cobra's saffron''', is a species in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Calophyllaceae]]. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its [[timber]]. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental due to its graceful shape, grayish-green [[foliage]] with a beautiful pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and large, fragrant white flowers.
| + | [[Category:Calophyllaceae]] |
| − | It is native to wet, tropical parts of [[Sri Lanka]], [[India]], southern [[Nepal]], [[Burma]], [[Thailand]], [[Indochina]], the [[Philippines]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Sumatra]], where it grows in evergreen forests, especially in river valleys. In the eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats in India it grows up to altitudes of {{convert|1500|m|abbr=on}}, while in Sri Lanka up to {{convert|1000|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=biotik>{{cite web|publisher=biotik.org|url=http://www.biotik.org/india/species/m/mesuferr/mesuferr_en.html|title=Mesua ferrea L. – Clusiaceae}}</ref><ref name=Kostermans>{{cite book|first=A.J.G.H.|last=Kostermans|chapter=Clusiaceae (Guttiferae)|editor1-first=M.D.|editor1-last=Dassanayaka|editor2-first=F.R.|editor2-last=Fosberg|title=A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon|volume=I|location=New Delhi|year=1980|pages=107–110}}</ref><ref name=Gunatilleke>{{cite book|last1=Ashton|first1=M|last2=Gunatilleke|first2=S|last3=de Zoysa|first3=N|last4=Dassanayake|first4=MD|last5=Gunatilleke|first5=N|last6=Wijesundera|first6=S|url=http://www.wht.lk/storage/book_downloads/-Trees%20%20Shrubs.pdf|title=A Field Guide to the Common Trees and Shrubs of Sri Lanka|location=Colombo|year=1997|page=140}}</ref> It is national tree of Sri Lanka and state flower of [[Tripura]] and [[Mizoram]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tripuratourism.gov.in/symbol|title=State Symbols of Tripura {{!}} Tripura Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.|website=tripuratourism.gov.in|access-date=2017-04-28}}</ref>
| + | [[Category:Plants for Keenan to eat]] |
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| − | ==Description==
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| − | [[File:നാഗപ്പൂവു്.jpg|thumb|right]]
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| − | The tree can grow over {{convert|30|m|abbr=on}} tall, often buttressed at the base with a trunk up to {{convert|2|m|abbr=on}} in diameter. The bark of younger trees has an ash grey color with flaky peelings, while of old trees the bark is dark ash-grey with a red-brown blaze. It has simple, opposite, narrow, oblong to lanceolate, blue-grey to dark green leaves that are {{convert|7–15|cm|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|1.5–3.5|cm|abbr=on}} wide, with a whitish underside. The emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping. The branches are slender, terete and glabrous. The bisexual [[flower]]s are {{convert|4–7.5|cm|abbr=on}} in diameter, with four white petals and a center of numerous orange yellow stamens. The fruit is an ovoid to globose capsule with one to two seeds.<ref name=biotik/>
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| − | ==History of the tree in Sri Lanka==
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| − | In the dry zone areas of Sri Lanka—where ironwood trees normally do not grow wild, large, old ironwood trees can be seen around the remains of ancient Buddhist monasteries on rocky hills around [[Dambulla]] such as [[Na Uyana Aranya]], Namal Uyana, Na-golla Aranya, Pidurangala near [[Sigiriya]], Kaludiya Pokuna near [[Kandalama]], and [[Ritigala]]. They are probably the descendants of trees planted as ornamentals in the monasteries in ancient times during the [[Anuradhapura]] period. Older trees form suckers or shoots from the base of the trunk, which become new trees when the old trunk falls down; therefore the bases and roots of some ironwood trees in these sites might be very old.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bhikkhu|last=Nyanatusita|url=http://www.bps.lk/library_other_publi.php%20|title=Forest Monasteries and Meditation Centres in Sri Lanka}}</ref>
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| − | In [[Theravada Buddhism]], this tree is said to have used as the tree for achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi by four [[Lord Buddha]]s called "Mangala - මංගල", "Sumana - සුමන", "Revatha - රේවත", and "Sobhitha - සෝභිත".
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| − | ==Uses==
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| − | As the English name indicates, the wood of this tree is very heavy, hard and strong. The density is 940 to 1,195 kg/m<sup>3</sup> (59 to 75 lb/ft<sup>3</sup>) at 15% moisture content. The colour is deep dark red. It is hard to saw and is mainly used for railroad ties and heavy structural timber.
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| − | In Sri Lanka the pillars of the 14th century Embekke Shrine near Kandy are made of iron tree wood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatmirror.com/index.cfm?navid=978|title=Sri Lanka: Embekke}}</ref>
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| − | The flowers, leaves, seeds and roots are used as herbal medicines in India, Malaysia, etc.<ref name=biotik/><ref name=flowers>{{cite web|publisher=Flowers of India|url=http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Nag%20Kesar.html|title=Nag Kesar}}</ref> and in [[Nag Champa]] incense sticks.
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| − | In eastern state of Assam, India, its seeds were also used for lighting purpose in evening for day to day purpose (while mustard oil for religious and health and culinary purposes) before the introduction of kerosene by the British.
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| − | ==Taxonomical status==
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| − | ''Mesua ferrea'' is a complex species and has recently been split into several species and varieties.<ref name=biotik/> A.J.G.H. Kostermans and Gunatilleke et al. call the tree described in this article ''Mesua nagassarium''.<ref name=Kostermans/><ref name=Gunatilleke/> Kostermans lists several subspecies of ''Mesua nagassarium''.<ref name=Kostermans/>
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| − | These authors list ''Mesua ferrea'' as a separate species that is endemic to Sri Lanka and is a small, 15 meters high tree that grows near streams and in marshes in the Southwest of Sri Lanka, where it is called "Diya Na" in Sinhala, meaning "Water Na Tree". This "Diya Na" is not cultivated.<ref name=Kostermans/><ref name=Gunatilleke/> Gunatilleke et al. (p. 139), however, remark in a footnote: "In the most recent revision ''diya na'' is named as ''[[Mesua thwaitesii]]'' and ''na'' as ''Mesua ferrea''".<ref name=Gunatilleke/>
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| − | Kostermans and Gunatilleke et al. classify ''Mesua ferrea'' in the ''[[Clusiaceae]]'' family, while in the AgroForestryTree Database it is allocated to the ''Guttiferae'' family.<ref name=Kostermans/><ref name=Gunatilleke/>
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| − | ==Vernacular names==
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| − | Mesua ferrea has different names in various languages.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Mesua ferrea|title=Dr. K.M. Nadkarni's Indian ''Materia Medica''|first=A.K.|last=Nadkarni|publisher=Popular Prakashan|location=Bombay|year=1976|pages=792–4.}}</ref><ref name=flowers/><ref>{{Cite book|title=A Glossary of Tibetan Medicinal Plants|last=Molvray|first=Mia|publisher=The Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Series 11|year=1988|isbn=|location=Dharamshala|pages=59}}</ref>
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| − | {{clear right}}
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| − | {{div col|colwidth=33em}}
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| − | * [[Sinhalese Language|සිංහල]]: Na (නා)
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| − | * [[Assamese language|Assamese]]: Nahor (নাহৰ), Nokte ( নোক্তে)
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| − | * Meghalaya (Garo): Kimde
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| − | * [[Bengali language|Bengali]]: Nagesar (নাগেশ্বর)
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| − | * [[Hindi language|Hindi]]: Gajapushpam; Nāg champa (नाग चम्पा), Nāgakesar (नाग केसर)
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| − | * Filipino: kaliuas
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| − | * [[Javanese language|Javanese]]: nagasari
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| − | * [[Kannada language|Kannada]]: Nagasampige (ನಾಗಸಂಪಿಗೆ)
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| − | * [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]]: penaga
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| − | * [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]: Nagachampakam; Veila
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| − | * [[Marathi language|Marathi]]: Nagchafa, Thorla chafa
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| − | * [[Myanmar]]: Kant Kaw
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| − | * [[Mizo language|Mizo]]: Herhse (state tree of Mizoram)
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| − | * [[Odia language|Odia]]: Nageswara, Nagakesara
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| − | *[[Romanian language|Română]]: Kesara
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| − | * [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]: Champeryah; Nāgakesara; Nāgapushpa, Nāga (नाग)
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| − | * [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]: Nā (නා)
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| − | * [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: Iravam(இரவம்), Iruḷmaram(இருள்மரம்), Cheru-nagapu; Sirunagappoo; Veilutta-champakam, Tadinangu, Naka
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| − | * [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: Nagakesara
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| − | * [[Thai language|Thai]]: bunnak (บุนนาค)
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| − | * [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]]: Naga Kesar (ནཱ་ག་གེ་སར་)
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| − | * [[Urdu]]: Narmishka (नर्मिश्क)
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| − | * [[Vietnam]]: Vắp ( Theo Y Học Tuệ Tĩnh - HuuDuc)
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| − | {{end div col}}
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | * [[List of Indian timber trees]]
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| − | *[[Nagkesar seed oil]]
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| − | ==References==
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| − | {{Reflist|33em}}
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | {{Commons category}}
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| − | *{{cite book |last=Caldecott |first=Todd |year=2006 |title=Ayurveda: The Divine Science of Life |publisher=Elsevier/Mosby |isbn=0-7234-3410-7 }} Contains a detailed monograph on ''Mesua ferrea'' (Nagakeshara) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at https://web.archive.org/web/20101229121750/http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/312-nagakeshara
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| − | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312182749/http://www.acs.ac.th/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=239&Itemid=203 Sriracha College: ''Mesua ferrea''](in [[Thai language|Thai]]; numerous photos)
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| − | {{Taxonbar|from=Q2001737}}
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| − | [[Category:Mesua|ferrea]] | |
| − | [[Category:Flora of tropical Asia]]
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| − | [[Category:National symbols of Sri Lanka]]
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| − | [[Category:Plants described in 1753]] | |
