Skip to main content

False ashoka (Monoon longifolium)

Dlium False ashoka (Monoon longifolium)

False ashoka (Monoon longifolium) is a plant species in the Annonaceae, a small tree, evergreen, up to more than 20 meters high, symmetrical pyramidal with pendulous branches, hardwood, easy to grow and very adaptive.

M. longifolium has long narrow lanceolate leaves with wavy edges, 25 cm long, 6 cm wide, copper brown pigmentation but over time becomes bright green and finally dark green.



Pale green flowers resemble delicate stars. The flowering period is usually 2-3 weeks. Fruits in 10-20 pieces, round, up to 2 cm wide, green but turn purple or black when ripe.

Trees are used to filter air pollution. Leaves are used for decorative decoration during festivals. Trees are easily pruned into various shapes and maintained in the required size. Flexible, straight and light rods are used in making sailing ship masts. Wood for making pencils, boxes and matches. Seed oil has anti-oxidant, anti-lipooxygenase and antimicrobial activity.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Subfamily: Malmeoideae
Tribe: Miliuseae
Genus: Monoon Miq. in Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 15 (1865)
Species: Monoon longifolium (Sonn.) B.Xue & R.M.K.Saunders in Taxon 61: 1032 (2012)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Guatteria longifolia (Sonn.) Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 6442 (1832)
Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Thwaites in Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 398 (1864)
Unona altissima Russell ex Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 6442 (1832)
Unona longifolia (Sonn.) Dunal in Monogr. Anonac.: 109 (1817)
Uvaria altissima Pennant in Outlin. Globe 1: 83 (1798)
Uvaria longifolia Sonn. in Voy. Indes Orient., ed. 2, 3: 260 (1782)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula Benthall in Trees Calcutta: xliii, 11 (1946)

PUBLICATIONS

Balkrishna, A. (2018). Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities): 1-581. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust.

Johnson, D.M. & Murray, N.A. (eds.) (2022). Flora of Thailand 16(1): 1-332. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Turner, I.M. (2018). Annonaceae of the Asia-Pacific region: names types and distribution. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 70: 409-744.

VERNACULAR NAME

Assamese: Umboi
Australia: Indian mast tree
Bengali: देबदारू
Chinese (Simplified): 长叶暗罗 - 垂枝暗罗 - 印度塔树
Chinese (Traditional): 印度塔樹 - 長葉暗羅
English: False ashoka, Indian mast tree, Glodokan Tiang, Buddha tree, Indian fir tree, Ashoka, Green champa, Mast tree, Telegraph pole tree
Finnish: Intiankoppipuu
Gujarati: આસોપાલવ
Hindi: अशोक Ashok
Indonesian: Glodogan Tiang
Japanese: マストツリー - レインツリー
Kannada: Madras ashoka, Ubbina, Kambada mara
Konkani: Asok
Malayalam: Ashokam, Ashvattam, Hemapushpam, Aranamaram, Cherunna, Choranna
Manipuri: Debdar
Marathi: Devdar, Dedbari
Nepali: अशोक Aśōka
Oria: Debadaru, Asupal
Russian: Полиалтия длиннолистная
Sanskrit: Ashoka, Putrajiva
Sinhala: වන්සුලම් - නෙත්තලිංගම් Vansulam
Slovak: mnoholiek dlholistý
Spanish: Árbol mástil, Pino Indu
Tamil: வன்சுலம் - நெற்றிலிங்கம் Vansulam, Nettilingam
Telugu: Devdaru, Nara maamidi
Thai: อโศกอินเดีย

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: https://www.dlium.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

Popular Posts

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Teki or purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus ) is a species of plant in the Cyperaceae, an erect annual growing to a height of up to 140 cm, the leaves sprout in rows of three from the base to a length of 5-20 cm, ribbon-shaped, pointed tip and green in color. The inflorescence has a stalk with a triangular cross section and is green. The inflorescence has three to eight unequal spikes. The flower is bisexual, has 3 stamina and the pistil has three stigmas. The fruit is achene and triangular. Teki prefers dry places, but will tolerate moist soil and often grows in wastelands and in crop fields. Tubers are an important source of nutrition for migratory cranes. Source of carbohydrates in the tropics in times of famine. The initial stage forms a white fleshy rhizome, 25 mm long and in chains. Some of the rhizomes grow upright above the ground, then form a tuber-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, new roots and new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or down...

Twoleaf nightshade (Solanum diphyllum)

Twoleaf nightshade ( Solanum diphyllum ) is a species of plants in Solanaceae, upright shrubs grow in shade, 1-2 m tall, rounded stems, dense, green-purple brown, short hairy, stopping cells, cornered young twigs and widely cultivated as plants decorate with bright yellow ripe fruit. S. diphyllum has leaves that are alternating, solitary or paired in twigs with generative organs. Some are stemmed for 1-1.5 cm. The leaves are oval to oblique round eggs, dynamic base, flat or wavy edges, tapered or rounded edges, 1-14.5 cm long, 0.5-4 cm wide and have short hair. Flowers facing leaves 5-25 mm long. Has a 2 mm handle, brownish purple, straight and unbranched. Hook 5-10 mm, greenish to brown and curved. The petals have five ears, resembling kupula, pale green, 1-5 mm long and short haired. Flowers have five crowns, coincide, star-shaped, yellowish white, 2-5 mm long. Has five stamens, free and facing the crown. Short and yellowish green pistil. The stigma is yellow, attached to the...

Limestone beads (Jacquemontia paniculata)

Limestone beads ( Jacquemontia paniculata ) is a species of plant in the Convolvulaceae. It is a herbaceous, twining climbing plant with cylindrical, branched, green stems. It grows in shrubs, teak forest floors, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas. J. paniculata has arrow-shaped, green leaves with a central main vein and numerous pinnate minor veins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long, 7 cm wide, and have stalks up to 5 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, about 1 cm in diameter, and bluish-white. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Convolvulaceae Subfamily: Dichondroideae Tribe: Jacquemontieae Genus: Jacquemontia Choisy in Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 6: 476 (1833 publ. 1834) Species: Jacquemontia paniculata (Burm.f.) Hallier f. in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 18: 95 (1893) Variety: Jacquemontia paniculata var. grandiflora Ooststr., Jacquemontia paniculata var. lanceolata S.H.Huang, Jacquemontia paniculata v...