176. Bombax Malabaricum D.C., h.f.b.i., i. 349. Roxb. 514.
Syn. :— B. heptaphylla, Roxb.
Sans. : — Shâlmali; mochâ. Rakta Shâlmali. Mahâ vriksha, Panch-parni, kalpa vriksa.
Vern. : — Semul or Sêmal, shembal, semur, pagun, somr, ragat-seûbal, ragat-sêmar, kânti-sêubal (H.) ; Rokto-simul, simul (B.);simbal, shivlan (Pb.) Del (Kol); Edel (Santal) ; Bouro, (Uriya) ; Boichu, panchu (Naro) ; Sunglu (Lepcha} ; Sânvari Kântesava saer, somr, semuel, shembal, (Bom.) ; Lâvara, Simbo, samar, kante-savar, kanteri samar, shevari, tamari savari, (Mar.) ; Rato-shemalo, shemolo, shimlo, shimul shimar, (Guz.); KântonKâ-Khatyan, kânto-kâ-sêmul, lâl-katyan (Dek) ; Mundlabûraga- chettu (Tel.) ; Pulâ, Mul-ilava-maram, mulilaun (Tam.) ; Pula- maram, mul-lilava, mullia-pûla (Mal) ; Mullu-bûragam-arâ, burla, (Kan.) ; Wallaiki (Gond.); Katseori (Bhil).
Habitat : — Tropical Eastern Himalaya, and throughout the hotter forest regions of India, Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra.
A very large deciduous tree, with branches in whorls, 5-7, spreading horizontally, and stem with buttresses at base. Bark grey, when young, with conical prickles, with corky base, when old with long irregular vertical cracks. Wood white when fresh cut, turning dark on exposure, very soft, perishable. No heartwood, no annual rings. Leaves digitate, glabrous. Leaflets 5 or 7, lanceolate, 4-8 in. long, common petiole as long as or longer than the leaflets. Flowers appearing before the leaves, large, scarlet, occasionally white ; Calyx inside silky — tomentose. Petals 2-3 in. long, stellate-tomentose on both faces. Filaments numerous, pluri-seriate, much longer than the staminal column ; 5 innermost forked at the top, each with an anther, 10 intermediate. shorter, outer very numerous (Maxwell T. Masters). Brandis says the filaments are about 70 ; the numerous outer ones united in 5 clusters. Anthers long, afterwards twisted. Petals 5, oblong, recurved, fleshy, twice the length of the stamens. Style longer than the stamens. Capsule 6-7 in., oblong, hard, woody, downy, 5-valved. Valves silky within.
