KODALI
(Aporosa cardiosperma)

A tree of kodali

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonyms: Aporosa affinis, Croton cardiospermus

English name: Lindley’s aporosa

Other names: Eachil, ponvetti

Kodiali is a fruit from tropical region, mostly occurring in semi-evergreen and ever green forests. It is endemic to South West Sri Lanka. In India, it is mostly found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra. Description: Evergreen trees, up to 20 m high, bark 6-8 mm thick, greyish-brown, vertical striations shallow, brittle; blaze light pink, striated; branchlets terete, glabrous. Leaves simple, attenuate, bifarious, stipulate; stipules lateral, lanceolate, cauducous; petiole 10-20 mm long, stout, grooved above, glabrous; lamina 7.5-18 x 3-8 cm, elliptic-oblong,  or ovate-oblong, base acute, obtuse or round, apex acuminate or obtusely acuminate, margin entire, glabrous, coriaceous; lateral nerves 7-10 pairs, pinnate, prominent, intercostae reticulate, faint.

Foliage of kodali

          Flowers unisexual, dioecious, generally white, green and yellow; male flowers: yellow, solitary or clustered in axillary catkin of 1-3.5 cm long; bracts ovate, ciliate, flowers 1-3 in each bract; tepals 4, ovate, ciliate; stamens 2-3, from the centre of the flower; filaments free; anthers didymous; female flowers, pale green, 3-8 together, in densely tomentose small racemes; pedicellate; bracts concave, ciliate, imbricate; tepals 4, larger than males; ovary superior, flask-shaped, thinly hispid; 2-celled, ovules 2 in each cell; styles 2-3, connate into a column; stigmas 2, small, plumose, spreading, recurved.

Flowers of kodali

     Fruits globose or ovoid, pointed with the persistent style, 10-14 mm across, thin-walled, smooth, fruiting pedicels 5- 6 mm long.

          Seeds suborbicular seeds, 2-4.

Utilization: Kodali fruits are eaten by local people. Edible portion is transparent aril enclosing the seeds. It is yellow in colour and tastes little sweet and sour. Chemical analysis of edible portion revealed that it contained, moisture (%): 92.43, protein (%): 0.02, fat (%): 1.16, reducing sugars (%): 4.91, non-reducing sugars (%): 1.06, total sugars (%): 5.98, vitamin C: traces, iron (mg/100g): 3.71, sodium (mg/100g): 11.6, potassium (mg/100g): 346.09.

Ripe fruits of kodali

          Kodali is a valuable medicinal tree.  Several parts of plant such as leaves, roots and stems are utilized in ethno medicine against several health ailments including fever, skin diseases, diabetes, infertility and hepatic diseases. Fresh root decoction is given to drink with a piece of jaggery to cure headaches. Cultivation: Kodali trees grow wild only and have not brought under cultivation yet. A tree or two is sometimes planted as specimen in gardens.

INPUT FROM:

Vikrant Patyal
Department of Fruit Science
Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry
Nauni, Solan, HP, 173220, India
82191 68838; [email protected]