Buchanania cochinchinensis - Priyala

Priyala, Buchanania cochinchinensis

Priyala, is a moderate sized tree of the dry forests of peninsular India, whose fruits and kernels are much valued as food. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste and the kernels, called chironji have a rich almond like flavour, which are also used in making sweets.

Uses

Gastritis, Burning sensation, Fever, Aphrodisiac, Excessive thirst.

Parts Used

Fruits, Seed kernel, Bark

Chemical Composition

The oil is a promising source of palmitic and oleic acids. Kernel lipids (65.6%), comprised mainly of neutral lipids (90.4%), consist mostly of triacylglycerol (82.2%), freefatty acids (7.8%) and small amount of diacylglycerols, monoacylglycerols and sterols.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	murkalu, kolemaavu
Hindi	char, charoli, chironji,
Malayalam	cheru, kalamavu, moongapezhu, mungaperlu, munnalperu
Tamil	cara paruppu, kattu-ma, saraiparuppu
Telugu	chaara, charumaamidi, chinna morli, sarapappu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	kharaskandha, rajadana, bahulavalkala, priyala, chara
English	Cudappah almond

Properties

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

Rasa

Madhura (Sweet)

Guna

Snigdha (Oily), Guru (Heavy)

Veerya

Sheeta (cold)

Karma

Pitta, vata

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	alternate	petiole 12-22 mm, stout, glabrous; lamina 10-23.5 x 5-12 cm, broadly oblong, base round or acute, apex obtuse or emarginate, margin entire, glabrous above and densely tomentose beneath, coriaceous; lateral nerves 10-20 pairs, pinnate, prominent, pubescent, secondary laterals prominent, intercostae reticulate, prominent.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	Terminal and axillary panicles	Greenish white	5	calyx lobes 5, persistent; petals 5, oblong, reflexed, pilose; stamens 10, inserted at the base of fleshy disc; filaments free, glabrous; disc cupular, 5 lobed, pilose; carpels 5-6, free, superior, tomentose, 4 reduced to thread like processes, one fertile, ovule one, pendulous; style lateral; stigma truncate.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
A drupe	10-13 x 8 mm	oblong, laterally compressed, black; stone hard, 2 valved; seed one.			{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area.

Photo Gallery

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  Leaves

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  Seeds

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  Whole tree

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  Flowers

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  Stem

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  Buds

External Links

• Buchanania cochinchinensis on the ferns.info
• Buchanania cochinchinensis on india biodiversity.org
• Buchanania cochinchinensis on ayur times.com