Oroxylum indicum is a rare tree commonly called
Tree of Damocles found in tropical countries, such as India, Japan,
China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia. It is a small or medium sized deciduous tree
up to 40 Ft in it’s natural habitat. If grown in pots, it can be
expected to be much smaller.
The leaves are very large, 5 ft long.
The large leaf stalks wither and
fall off the tree and collect near the base of the trunk, appearing to
look like a pile of broken limb bones. The flowers are reddish purple
outside and pale, pinkish-yellow within, numerous, in large erect
racemes. The flowers bloom at night and emit a strong, stinky odor which
attracts bats.
The name Midnight Horror is due to its lengthy seed pods which range
from 1.3 - 4ft. Hanging off the tree in clusters, when dry they rattle
in the wind like a clattering skeleton...
It has been used traditionally for a wide diversity of ailments such as cancer, diarrhea, fever, ulcer, jaundice and arthritis.
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