Common Name: Butter Tree

General Information

Madhuca longifolia is a deciduous tree with a large, spreading, rounded crown that can grow 16 metres or more tall. The short bole can be 80cm in diameter[].
A multipurpose tree that is very important to the local economy, supplying a range of foods, medicines and other commodities. It is commonly harvested from the wild and is also often cultivated in the tropics[]. The tree has occasionally been planted as an avenue tree and is often planted to provide shade[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar.

Habitat

Margins of tropical and subtropical forests at elevations up to 200 metres in Nepal[]. Deciduous forests and dry sal plain forests. The tree is usually found scattered in pastures and cultivated fields in central India[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	16.00 m
Pollinators	Bats
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the subtropics to the hot tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres[]. Able to resist some frost, it grows in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 2 - 46°c. It grows best where the mean annual rainfall is between 550 - 1,500mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Prefers a deep loamy or sandy-loam soil with good drainage[]. It also occurs on shallow bouldery, clayey and calcareous soils[]. Established plants are drought resistant[].
A long-lived tree, it commences bearing when about 10 years old[].
A full grown tree can produce up to 90 kg of flowers in a year[].
Trees coppice well if they are felled when dormant in the hot season[]. They can be worked on 25 - 30 year coppice cycle to produce a mean annual increment of 3 - 5 cubic metres/ha[].

Edible Uses

The fragrant fleshy flowers can be eaten raw or cooked[, , ]. Rich in nectar, they are used as a sweetener and a source of sugar[, , ]. They can also be dried for later use[]. The dried flowers can be powdered and added to flour[]. Excessive amounts can be intoxicating[].

Both the ripe and the unripe fruit can be eaten[]. The outer fruit coat is eaten as a vegetable, whilst the fleshy cotyledons are dried and ground into a meal[]. The yellow fruit is about 5cm long[].

An oil expressed from the seed is used both as a substitute for and an adulterant of ghee[, ]. The seeds are a source of illipe butter, used in making margarine and chocolate[]. The oil is of low quality[].

The leaves are edible[].

Medicinal

The flowers are regarded as anthelmintic, cooling, demulcent, laxative and tonic[, , ]. They are used in the treatment of coughs, colds and bronchitis[] and in the treatment of snakebites[]. They are fruid in ghee and then eaten as a remedy for piles[].
The dried flowers are used as a fomentation in the treatment of orchitis, being valued for their sedative effect[].

The bark is astringent and emollient[]. It is used in the treatment of leprosy[]. A decoction of the bark is given to diabetic patients in Nepal[].
The bark is used externally to treat itchy skin and bleeding gums[].

The oil from the seeds is used in the treatment of skin diseases[, ].

Tha gummy juice (?latex) is used in the treatment of rheumatism[].

The plant contains a toxic saponin, mowrin, which has a digitalis-like effect upon the heart and a saponin-like, haemolytic effect[].
An essential oil obtained from the fruit contains 22.7% ethyl cinnamate[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree has a large spreading superficial root system that holds soil together[].
It is planted on wasteland with hard lateritic soils in India[].
The seed cake has been used as fertilizer[].

Other Uses

The seed residue, after the oil has been extracted, is used for ridding lawns of worms[]. The de-fatted seed kernels contain 26 - 50 % saponin[].
The oil from the seeds is used to treat other seeds against pest infestation[].

A low quality of oil is extracted form the seeds[, ]. Consisting principally of palmitic and stearic acids, it is mainly used in making soap and candles[, , ].

Tannin is obtained from the bark[].

The heartwood is reddish brown. The wood is strong, very hard, very heavy and durable[, , ]. It takes a fine finish. It is used for house construction, furniture, naves and felloes of cartwheels, door and window frames[, , ].
The wood is used as a fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - propagated by direct seeding, seedlings or stumps[]. Seeds should be sown when fresh in long polypots to accommodate the long taproot. Seedlings should be ready to plant in 2-4 months, or can be maintained for longer with regular root pruning. Seedlings are frost tender. 1-year-old stumps establish more successfully than bare root seedlings[].
Seeds are produced plentifully every second or third year. They lose viability within a short period and the oily fruit should be sown directly in the field as the seeds become available[].

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