- Trunk & Growth Form: Fast-growing straight cylindrical bole with characteristic tiered horizontal branches forming a dense umbrella crown. Bark is grey and smooth when young, turning darker and fissured with age.
- Foliage: Large, glossy, dark green leaves (15–30 cm long) arranged oppositely, elliptic-oblong with prominent yellowish veins.
- Blossoms & Flowers: Highly fragrant, perfectly spherical (globular) flower heads measuring 4–5 cm across, packed with tiny golden-orange tubular florets with white projecting stigmas.
- Fruit & Seeds: Hard fleshy composite fruit heads containing numerous tiny angular seeds relished by birds and bats.
Evergreen to Semi-Deciduous Canopy Tree
Kadamba Tree (Burflower Tree / कदम्ब (Kadam))
Neolamarckia cadamba
Also Known as: कदम्ब (Kadam), Kadamba (कदम्बक), Burflower Tree, Laran, Haripriya
Neolamarckia cadamba (syn. Anthocephalus cadamba), commonly known as Kadamba or Kadam, is a fast-growing, large tropical evergreen-to-deciduous tree native to South and Southeast Asia. Belonging to the Rubiaceae (coffee) family, it is revered in Indian mythology and forestry for its unique globe-shaped, fragrant orange blossoms and expansive horizontal canopy. Kadamba serves a versatile purpose across commercial pulp/timber manufacturing, traditional perfume (attar) distillation, and classical Ayurvedic medicine for wound healing and fever alleviation.
Botanical Family
Rubiaceae
Native Region
Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia)
Growth Habit
Evergreen to Semi-Deciduous Canopy Tree
Mature Height
20 – 45 meters (65 – 148 ft)
Sunlight
Full Sun (pioneer fast-growing species)
Water Needs
Moderate to High (thrives in riverine/monsoon floodplains)
Soil Dynamics
Moist, well-draining alluvial loam, sandy loam; pH 5.5 – 7.5
Propagation
Seeds (minute) and stem cuttings
