Terminalia elliptica

Terminalia elliptica
T. elliptica tree found in Panchkhal Valley
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Combretaceae
Genus:	Terminalia
Species:	T. elliptica
Binomial name
Terminalia elliptica Willd.

Terminalia elliptica (syn. T. alata Heyne ex Roth, T. tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.) is a species of Terminalia native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam., It is a prominent part of both dry and moist deciduous forests in southern India up to 1000 m.

Common names are Asna, Saj or Saaj, Indian-laurel,Matti (Kannada), Taukkyan (Burma), Sadar, Matti or Marda (India), අසන - Asana (Sri Lanka), and casually "crocodile bark" due to the characteristic bark pattern.

It is a tree growing to 30 m tall, with a trunk diameter of 1 m. The fruit is ovoid, 3 cm long, with five wings not extending beyond the fruit apex. The bark is fire-resistant. The wood is coarse, fairly straight grained, dull to somewhat lustrous and without any smell or taste. The heartwood varies from light brown with few markings to dark brown or brownish black and figured with darker streaks. The sapwood is reddish white and sharply differentiated. The heartwood is moderately durable and the sapwood is liable to powder-post beetle attack.

Terminalia tomentosa has a remarkable attribute: some members of the species store water in the dry season. A survey conducted at Bandipur National Park, India showed that a proportion of trees store water and there is a girth dependent increase in the frequency and amount of water storage. The mechanism and ecophysiological significance of this water storage is not known.

The wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, joinery, paneling, specialty items, boat-building, railroad cross-ties (treated), and decorative veneers.

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Wikipedia