Distribution and habitat: South India.

Botany: Small deciduous tree  or rambling shrub, armed or not, wood olive brown, hard and close-grained. 

• Leaves: Simple alternate, petioled, oblong or elliptic, base inequal, somewhat rounded, acute or subobtuse, above nearly glabrous with pubescent veins, lower surface with scattered hairs or tuft of hairs or hollow glands in the axils or primary veins
• Flowers: Small close fascicles, peduncles, pedicels and calyx tube usually woolly, silky white, ovary inferior
• Fruit: Berries black-crowned by somewhat enlarged calyx-limb, pubescent or glabrous; seeds albuminous.

Chemical constituents:  Vanoterpine, di-salsoline, isocephaeline. Leaves contain mild aldrenolytic, pharmocological choline, ankorine,  deoxy tubulosine, alangi marckine, dehydroprotoemetine, steroids, stigmasta-5, 22, 25-tien-3 β-ol, myristic acid.

Uses: Antiprotozoal, hypoglycaemic, for burning sensation and rheumatism. Root bark is recommended for fever, jaundice, hepatitis and skin diseases. Fruit is cooling.  Root is antihelminthic. 

Formulations: Ankolah, Mahabhutara ghrtam

Propagation: Seed