State Tree of West Bengal and How to Grow It?

The State Tree of West Bengal is a beautiful specimen with stunning flowers! Here are all the details that will help you grow it easily!

If you have always wanted to know about the State Tree of West Bengal, then we have all the details for you! Read on to know all the information!

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State Tree of West Bengal

The Blackboard tree is the official State Tree of West Bengal. It is also famous by the names Chhatim and Saptaparni, locally. The tree is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China, Indonesia, and Australia.

The tree has quite an extensive uses – the latex provides good quality chewing gum, its bark yields fiber, and the wood provides pulp for paper products and makes plywood and blackboard.

According to a study, Alstonia scholaris has a promising place in the Ayurvedic system of medicine due to its various medicinal values like antidiabetic, antibacterial, antianxiety, anticancer, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.

Another report from the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Noida, India, states that methanolic extracts of A. scholaris plant parts that include leaf, follicles, and latex exhibit significant antioxidant and antibacterial activity.

Botanical Name: Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.

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Propagating the State Tree of West Bengal

These trees are easy to grow from seeds and cuttings. However, as it can be time-consuming, the best bet is to get a well-grown plant from a nursery and transplant it into the garden. Make sure to choose a spot that gets plenty of sunlight all day long.

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Requirements to Grow the State Tree of West Bengal

Sunlight

The State Tree of West Bengal grows best in a sunny location. Choosing a spot with 5-6 hours of full sunlight will be the most optimum for its growth.

Soil

These trees can grow well in a wide range of growing mediums, but well-draining, fertile, loose soil, especially red alluvial soil, works best for growing this tree.

Water

When the tree is young, water it adequately whenever the topsoil is dry. Water regularly and deeply to keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.

Once the plant becomes mature, it will take care of itself.

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Harvesting Black Board Tree

The tree is of great importance due to its medicinal bark and latex. It takes around 8-10 years for the tree to mature and become harvestable. The months from October to January are considered best for bark harvesting, which can be done by either cutting the tree or scraping the outer layer of the bark using specialized tools.

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Benefits of Blackboard tree

• The infusion of its bark helps to tree fever and headache. It is also good for treating skin ailments and rheumatism pain.
• The juice of the roots with milk is good for curing leprosy.
• It has wound-healing properties. 
• Its wood is famous for making paper in India and other parts of South Asia.
• Dried leaves are used as expectorants.
• Seeds contain indole alkaloids, which are known to be psychoactive.

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