Moraceae

Native: China through tropical Asia and the Caroline Islands to Australia.

Systematic Position           

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Streptophyta

Order: Rosales

Family: Moraceae

Common Names

English – Indian Laurel

Malayalam – ഇത്തി

Description: An evergreen tree, usually grow as hemi-epiphyte, up to 18m high with numerous aerial roots, latex milky. Leaves simple, alternate or spiral. Inflorescence a hypanthium, sessile, in axillary pairs, globose, 0.7cm across, glabrous, orifice plane or slightly raised. Flowers unisexual and are of 4 types. Male flowers, female flowers, gall flowers and neutral flowers. Fruit is a syconium with 0.8-1.0cm across, globose, glabrous, pink with yellow shades when ripe.

Distribution:  Indo-Malesia to Pacific Islands, Australia, Caroline Islands and South China

Uses: A constituent in nalpamara, an ayurvedic formulation. Latex extracted from the leaves is consumed to treat liver disease or applied to the skin to treat colic. The bark and leaves are used to relieve headaches, while leaves and roots are thought to promote healing of bruises and wounds. Some Buddhists consider this species to be sacred.