Olea dioica Roxb.

Olea dioica Roxb.  (OLEACEAE)

Common names
Kannada & Tulu: Bili saroli.
Malayalam: Edana.
Tamil: Koli, Payar.

Description:  Evergreen trees, 12-15 m tall with smooth,  grey bark. Leaves elliptic- lanceolate, 7-15 x 3-6 cm, acute at base, acute to acuminate at apex, entire or crenate; main nerves 8-12 pairs; petiole 0.6-1.5 cm long. Flowers polygamous-dioecious, in 4-8 cm long compound panicles, white. Calyx lobes 4, triangular, glabrous. Corolla-tube short, lobes 4, triangular, glabrous. Male flowers: stamens 2; filaments short. Bisexual flowers: stamens 2 (some times 3); filaments inserted on the corolla or sometimes on the ovary. Ovary 2-locular; style short; stigma 2-fid. Fruit a drupe, ellipsoid or ovoid, ca 1.8 cm long, often slightly pointed, purple when ripe. Seed solitary, ellipsoid, rugose.

Flowering & Fruiting: December – April.

Distribution: India: In evergreen and deciduous forests of the Western Ghats, up to 1600 m.

Uses: The tree is planted for shade. Bark and leaves used as febrifuge.