Cemetery Tree
Polyalthia longifolia
Also known as Mast Tree, Telegraph Pole Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- March-September
How to identify Cemetery Tree
Identify Cemetery Tree by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Tall narrow columnar shape with drooping wavy-margined leaves, classic avenue/cemetery tree.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Undulate.
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-September.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Polyalthia longifolia
- Genus
- Polyalthia
- Family
- Annonaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Sri Lanka
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Tropics of the World
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Haryana, Mizoram, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Meghalaya
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- LanceolaterecordedLong and narrow, tapering to a point, like a lance head.“It exhibits symmetrical pyramidal growth with willowy weeping pendulous branches and long narrow lanceolate leaves with undulate margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- UndulaterecordedA wavy, rippled edge.“It exhibits symmetrical pyramidal growth with willowy weeping pendulous branches and long narrow lanceolate leaves with undulate margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Cemetery Tree itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish“== Flowering == In spring, the tree is covered with delicate star-like pale green flowers.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Cemetery Tree itself; the rest are typical of the Annonaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- अशोक का पेड़
- Bengali
- দেবদারু
- Tamil
- நெட்டிலிங்கம்
- Telugu
- నరమామిడి
- Kannada
- ಕಂಬದಮರ
- Malayalam
- അരണമരം
About Cemetery Tree
A member of the Annonaceae family, Cemetery tree (Polyalthia longifolia) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and 22 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from March to September.
Uses
It is planted as an ornamental.
Annonaceae
Custard apple family
Cemetery Tree belongs to the Annonaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Annonaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Cemetery Tree or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides