Ceylon Iron-Wood

Mesua ferrea

Also known as Indian Rose chestnut, Cobra's Saffron, Inagas tree, Ironwood, Mesua, Nagas tree, Penaga Lili

TreeoutdoorMedicinal
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About Ceylon Iron-Wood

Mesua ferrea, the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron, is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its graceful shape, grayish-green foliage with a striking pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and its large, fragrant white flowers. It is the national tree of Sri Lanka, as well as the state tree of Mizoram and state flower of Tripura in India.

Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plant Details

Scientific name
Mesua ferrea
Genus
Mesua
Habit
Tree
Habitat
Evergreen forests, near streams
Distribution
India, Andaman and Nicobar (India), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
Flowering & fruiting
April-November
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Local Names

Hindi
नागेसर Nagesar, नाग केसर
Nepali
नाग केशर Nag keshar
Bengali
নাগেশ্বর Nagesar, নাগেশ্বর
Tamil
நாக மரம் Nakamaram, புன்னாகம் Punnakam, Nagacuram
Telugu
నాగకేసరము Naga-kesaramu, నాగకేశరము, ఉప్ప చెట్టు
Kannada
ನಾಗಕೇಸರ Nagakesara, ನಾಗಸಂಪಿಗೆ Nagasampige, ನಾಗಸಂಪಿಗೆ
Malayalam
നാഗകേസരം Nagakesaram, Churuli, Nagapoovu
Marathi
नागचाफा Nag chafa, नागकेशर Nagkeshar, नागचाफा
Illustration representing the CLUSIACEAE family
Botanical family

Clusiaceae

Mangosteen/Garcinia family

Ceylon Iron-Wood belongs to the Clusiaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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