Suregada multiflora

In the collection of trees that lend their names to the places in Malaysia, we have the Merlimau tree. Coming across the tree flowering was a pleasant surprise. Merlimau is a small town in Malacca. Limau is the Malay word for lime and it is understandable that the prefix “mer” is added on as the tree is described as  the false lime.

SUREGADA MULTIFLORA
Family: Euphorbiaceae

Shrubs or trees, 2-13 m tall; branches gray-yellow to gray-brown, glabrous. Leaf blade obovate-elliptic to obovate-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic. Inflorescences pedunculate cymules. Flowers 5-8 mm in diameter. Male flowers : sepals orbicular, margin shallowly serrate; stamens 30-60; disk glands small, inserted at base of filaments. Female flowers : disk annular; ovary globose, glabrous; styles 3, horizontal, 2-lobed, lobes shallowly bifid to irregularly multifid. Sepals persistent in fruit; capsule globose, 11-15 mm, slightly fleshy, subglabrous, 3 seeded.

Suregada multiflora is the medicinal plants of Bangladesh. The bark of Suregada multiflora have a potential to be anti-allergic. This Flower of India also used to provide shade at park.