Gamhar

It is a kind of Medicinal herb which is used to cure different diseases. Its scientific name is Gamelia Aborea Roxb and its common name is Gamhar. It grows in Tropical semi-evergreen, moist and dry deciduous forest. Gamhar is a tree that can grow to 30 m high, with smooth, whitish to grayish reddish-brown bark and a straight trunk. Its leaves are 8 to 20 cm long, 4.5 to 15 cm wide, and covered with star-shaped hairs. Two large glands are paired at the base of each leaf. The outer surface of the calyx (sepals) is scattered with flat, round glands. The flowers are reddish-yellow, hairy and five-lobed. The hairless fruits are 10 to 15 mm in diameter and glossy yellow when mature. They are recorded as having a bittersweet taste.
Gamhar produces high-quality wood, which is harvested for the manufacture of furniture and musical instruments. It is also used as structural timber, for instance in mines and ship building, as well as joinery, and to make plywood, matches, agricultural implements and even artificial limbs. The wood also produces good quality pulp used in the manufacture of cardboard and various grades of paper. The juice of young leaves has been used to treat gonorrhea and as a cough medicine also.
Gamhar thrives in full sunlight, although it can tolerate some shade. It is moderately frost-hardy, and can recover quickly from frost injuries. It grows best in fertile, well-drained soils, and is normally propagated by seed. For rapid germination, fresh seed should be soaked in cold water for 48 hours. The seed should then be sown in a mixture of sand and loam at 22 - 25˚C, and will germinate within two to three weeks.
By: Sagar Waiba