False White Teak - Mallotus nudiflorus

Common Name :	False White Teak.
Botanical Name :	Mallotus nudiflorus
Synonym :	Trewia nudiflora
Family :	Euphorbiaceae
Bengali Name :	Pitali (পিটালি), Pituli (পিটুলি).
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

This plant is commonly known as False White Teak with botanic name Mallotus nudiflorus (whereas the synonym is Trewia nudiflora). This plant belongs to the plant family Euphorbiaceae. It natives from South Asia to East Asian region. In Bangladesh this plant is known as Pituli, Pitali, etc.

False White Teak (Mallotus nudiflorus) is a medium growing deciduous to evergreen plant. This pant can grow up to 30 meter in height (although in average it grows around 10 meter). This plant can grow around the jungle, roadside, river banks, or near wetlands. The bark of the plant is greyish. Leafs of the plant is alternately arranged (upper side of leaf is smooth compare to underside). Leafs are pointy at the end.

Blooming season for False White Teak (Mallotus nudiflorus) is spring (which is February to March), but can be seen bloomed during winter as well. A tree brings numerous greenish small flowers which covers the whole tree. Small flowers blooms in a cluster and the cluster hangs from the branch. Small flower buds are round shaped. A single flower may not look attractive, but as a group they look beautiful. Flowers are having very light fragrant.

The fruit of the plant is round shaped and the kids use to play with those. The wood of the plant is very soft to make any furniture. Only use of the wood is as a wood-fuel for the burners in village (during cooking). This plant has several medicinal uses.

Photos of False White Teak (Mallotus nudiflorus) were taken from the following locations of Bangladesh.
1. December 2014: Kukri-mukri, Bhola.
2. January 2015: Munshiganj.
3. February 2015: Narayanganj.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icflora.blogspot.com/