Arni / Arani / Agnimantha Panchang

It is a small Perrenial Anual Tree. Grows upto 10m in height in warm , Tropical & Sub-Tropical Climates

The Following information was collected from the Kew Garden resources

- Common name(s): malbau (Malay language), headache tree

- Synonym(s):Premna integrifolia

- Conservation status: Rated by IUCN as of Least Concern (LC).

- Habitat: Open vegetation along coasts and rivers.

- Key uses: Edible leaves; leaves, roots and bark used in traditional medicine; used for hedges and as a street tree.

- Known hazards: None known.

About this species

Premna serratifolia was named by the Swedish botanist and ‘father of taxonomy’ Carl Linnaeus in 1771, in the publication Mantissa Plantarum Altera. The leaves of the type specimen (the specimen used by Linnaeus for his description) are somewhat serrated, and hence explain the choice of the specific epithet serratifolia for a species that generally has smooth-edged leaves. There are about 50 species in the genus Premna. This particular species is also encountered in the literature as Premna integrifolia.

Premna serratifolia is widely distributed along the coasts and islands of tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific.