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Snowflakes or...?

Wrightia tinctoria, known for its medicinal properties, adds beauty to your garden

WHITE AND GREEN Wrightia in bloom.

From a distance, they may appear like snow flakes on a tree but a closer look reveals that these gentle, soft flakes are in fact the white flowers of Wrightia tinctoria, often referred to as the Snowflake Tree. Known as paalai in Tamil, this tree is also known by the names Dhudi tree or the Sweet Indrajao.

Native to India and Burma, Wrightia belongs to the family Apocynaceae.

Wrightia is named after a Scottish physician and botanist William Wright (1740 - 1827). Wrightia tinctoria is a deciduous tree with a light grey, smooth bark, amenable for carving. The flowers are white in colour and the fruits pendulous, long paired follicles joined at their tips. The hairy seeds are released as the fruit dehisces.

Medicinal property

The follicle

The leaves of this tree yield a blue dye called Pala Indigo. The leaves are applied as a poultice for mumps and herpes and sometimes, they are also munched to relieve toothache.

Wrightia tinctoria is called dhudi (Hindi) because of its preservative nature. Supposedly a few drops of its sap in milk prevent curdling and enhance its shelf life, without the need to refrigerate. In folk medicine, the dried and powdered roots of Wrightia along with Phyllanthus amarus (keezhanelli) and Vitex negundo (nochi) is mixed with milk and orally administered to women for improving fertility. The bark and seeds are effective against psoriasis and non-specific dermatitis. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-dandruff properties and hence is used in hair oil preparations.

The wood of Wrightia tinctoria is extensively used for all classes of turnery. It is made into cups, plates, combs, pen holders, pencils and bed stead legs. It is commonly used for making Chennapatna toys.

PAULINE DEBORAH & RIDLING WALLER

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