The capability and willingness of this nice shrub to display all its attractive characteristics at one time really make the `Golden Champak` a wonderful and charming shrub. It is well known to the scientists of the world as `Ochna Squarrosa`. The name `Ochna` derived from a Greek word and `Squarrosa` in Latin means "rough" or "scurfy". This is a member of the family named `Ochnaceoe`. It has some names in various Indian languages. In Hindi, this is called as `Ramdhan Champa`. The Tamil people named it as `Chilanti`. In Telugu language, it is known as `Sunari`. This is a gorgeous shrub in the garden and it can reach about 2.5 m in height.
The new leaves of this beautiful shrub have some subtle shades of russet, brown and lime colour. They turn into green colour by the course of time. The bright yellow coloured and fragrant flowers appear during the time when the leaves are new. The maroon coloured fruit of the `Golden Champak` develops when the petals fall down. The calices are usually of pale green in colour, but they turn to crimson with age. The stems are dark brown. The flowers of this shrub appear in clusters. The clusters remain on some stems that are about2.5 cm in length. They also contain a number of petals that can vary from time to time. These petals display the close bunch of yellow coloured stamens. The stamens are tipped with a long and deeper yellow anther.
The fruits of the shrub are about 5 cm in length. In the beginning, they are green in colour. When they become matured, they turn to maroon and black. The fruits normally develop singly or sometimes in clusters where they remain up to ten in number. They stay on a red boss that is surrounded by some crimson coloured and rounded sepals.
In Winter, the leaves of the `Golden Champak` fall down and the new leaves appear in the months of February and March. They are generally long and pointed with some wavy and finely notched edges. The shrub gets a second flush of flowers in the month of June and some more red and brown coloured leaves appear this time.
The `Golden Champak` has some strangely long, enlarged and warped roots. The `Santals` make an antidote to snakebites from the roots. The bark can produce a tonic that can be taken as a cure for digestive troubles. People can prepare plasters from the leaves of this shrub and apply it to wounds. The wood is quite hard and has an attractive grain of red-brown colour. However, as it has a tendency to warp, people do not use it widely. This shrub can grow from cuttings or seeds
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