Description

• Spanish cherry is a lovely green small tree of the Indian subcontinent
• . With its small shiny, thick, narrow, pointed leaves, straight trunk and spreading branches, it is a prized ornamental specimen because it provides a dense shade and during the months from March to July fills the night air with the delicious heady aroma of its tiny cream-colored flowers.
• Flowers are small, star-shaped, yellowish white in colour, with a crown rising from the centre.
• Oval leaves, wavy at margin, about 5-16 cm and 3-7 cm wide. In the morning the fragrant flowers which so graciously scented their surroundings with their deep, rich, fragrance during the evening hours, fall to the ground.

Uses

• Fruits are edible.
• The bark is used to treat fever, pimples and diarrhoea, and the leaves for headache.
• The flowers are sun dried and used to make floral infusions and as an addition to green tea in Thailand.
• It is used in the treatment and maintenance of oral hygiene. Rinsing mouth with water solution made with Spanish cherry helps in strengthening the teeth.
•  It also prevents bad breath and helps keep the gums healthy.