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Memecylon edule is a small evergreen tree native to India, especially the Deccan Plateau, including most of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Tamil Nadu, Thailand and Borneo. Common names include kaayam, delek bangas, delek air, miat, and nemaaru.

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Memecylon edule
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Melastomataceae
Genus:	Memecylon
Species:	M. edule
Binomial name
Memecylon edule Roxb.

Description

The tree grows on rocky soils and blooms once or twice per year. The tree has a thin bark, so it is sometimes also called nipis kulit or "thin-skinned" in Malay. The leaves are thick and leathery. As the flower petals are shed, the sand and rocks below are dusted in mauve.

Flowers are regular hermaphrodite, petals as many as calyx lobes, inserted on the mouth of the calyx limb and stamens are shorter in the alternate and may be seriate. The fruit is about a centimeter long and green, turning red then black as it ripens. Fruits are fleshy capsule or a fleshy berry.

Cultivation

This tree is valued as an ornamental and a source of wood for construction.

Chemistry

The leaves contain glucosides, resins, colouring pigments, gums, starches, and malic acid. They are rich in aluminum. Yellow color dye can be extracted. Leaves and roots are used as a medicine for dysentery and as an astringent.

References

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