Shorea robusta - Agnivallabha

Agnivallabha, Shorea robusta

Agnivallabha, Sal is an evergreen tree with an elongated crown when young, becoming more rounded as the tree ages. It can grow up to 50 metres tall in fertile soils, but is more likely to be 20 - 25 metres tall in poorer soils. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for up to 25 metres and up to 200cm in diameter. Sal is a very important multi-purpose tree. It is one of the main commercial timbers of India, being harvested from the wild for local use and export. It also yields a resin that is traded and an oil that is used locally as well as being exported in large quantities. In addition, it supplies tannins, an edible seed and medicines for local use. The leaves are used commercially for making plates and containers

Uses

Fracture healing, Wound healing, Diarrhea, Ear disorders, Relieves itching

Parts Used

Bark, Sapwood, Heartwood, resin, seeds

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	ashvakarna, bili-bhogimara, bili-bovu, bilibodige
Hindi	sal, ral, shal
Malayalam	kungiliyam, mulappumarutu, salavrksam
Tamil	venkunkiliyam, tanivirukkam, acuvakarnakam
Telugu	jalari-chettu, saala, sarjakamu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	agnivallabha, ashvakarna, dhupavrksa, ralasala
English	Sal

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Kashaya (Astringent), Madhura (Sweet)

Guna

Rooksha (Dry), Ushna (Hot)

Veerya

Sheeta (Cold)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

{{Leaf|Simple|Alternate| shiny, glabrous, about 10-25 cm long and broadly oval atthe base, with the apex tapering into a long point; new leaves reddish, soon becoming delicate green. }

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	Terminal or axillary racemose panicles	Yellowish white	25+	fragrant, yellow or cream white, pedicel subsessile, bracts minute, caducous, calyx 5 lobed, tubular with short valvate lobes, imbricate, ovate-triangular, adnate to the receptacle, outer 3 larger than the inner 2 lobes, about 2-2.5 mm long, petals 5, white, pale yellow to pinkish strips, lanceolate, base slightly connate, apex acuminate, glabrous inside, buff pubescent outside, 10-13 nerved longitudinally. Stamens 25 or more, adnate persistent, short, filaments somewhat flattened or tapering and filiform, anthers subglobose, narrow oblong-ovate, connective subulate, minutely tri-fid towards beyond anther lobes, hair-like. Ovary enclosed inside calyx tube, narrow ovoid, pubescent, tri-locular, 2 ovules per locule, stylopodium distinct or not, style subulate, stigma tri-lobed or tri dentate.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Winged capsule	1.5 cm long	ovoid, apex acute, densely pubescent, about 1.5 cm long, enclosed in calyx tube with 3 outer accrescent larger lobes and broader lobes, about 8 x 1.5 cm long and 2 inner ones, smaller, oblong-spathulate, apex obtuse, about 10-12 veined, about 3.5 x 0.5 cm across, calyx lobes base thick, saccate, pubescent. Seeds 1, cotyledons large, fleshy		{{{5}}}	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

Commonly seen growing in areas

Sub Tropical area

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Shorea_robusta.PDF
• https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijas/article/view/3078