Kumathi mara -Dragon’s eye

Kumathi mara (Dimocarpuslongan Lour) is one of the native trees in Kodagu grows 9-12 M tall. A tropical tree that produces edible fruit which is commonly associated with lychee. The fruit has a bark-like shell, thin, and firm. The flowers are pale yellow in colour.

Kodava

Kumathimara, Poovathimara, Chaakatemara

English

Dragon’s eye, Longan tree

Botanical Name

Dimocarpuslongan Lour

Family

SAPINDACEAE

Flowering starts

March

Fruiting ends

September

Uses

The wood is used for posts, agricultural implements, furniture and construction. The heartwood is red, hard and takes a fine polish. The flesh of the fruit is administered as a stomachic, febrifuge and vermifuge and is regarded as an antidote for poison. A decoction of the dried flesh is taken as a tonic and treatment for insomnia and neurasthenic neurosis.