Canthium coromandelicum

Canthium coromandelicum is a deciduous shrub. It is armed with opposite thorns. It has spreading branches and it can grow up to 5 m high.

The bark of Canthium coromandelicum is greyish, rough, longitudinally fissured and transversally cracked.
The shrub is armed with opposite, horizontal and straight thorns at the upper axils of the leaves. The spines are stout, sharp and about 3-4 cm long.

The leaves of Canthium coromandelicum grow opposite on the stem.
The leaf is simple. It is smooth and glabrous on both sides.
The leaves have a 3-5 mm long petiole with a pair of linear stipules at the axil.
The leaf of Canthium coromandelicum is 3-5 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The blade is ovate-elliptic, the apex is obtuse, the base is obtuse-oblique and the margins are entire.
The venation of the leaf is reticulate with a prominent midrib.

The flowers of Canthium coromandelicum are grouped in lax cymes.
The pedicels of the flowers are about 1 cm long. The calyx is cup-shaped with 4 small teeth. The calyx is greenish-coloured, glabrous and 2 mm long.
The corolla is composed of 4 yellow-greenish petals. The corolla-lobes are obovate, acute and recurved, 2-2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The throat of the flower is densely hairy.
The androecium is composed of 4 stamens. The pistil is composed of a 2.5 mm long style and a capitate stigma. The buds are glabrous and greenish-coloured.
The flowers are fragrant.
 

The fruit of Canthium coromandelicum is a drupe. The fruit is subglobose (slightly compressed with a median longitudinal groove), 1 cm in diameter with a 1 cm long pedicel. It is green turning yellow-brown when ripe. It usually contains 2 hard stones.

The seeds of Canthium coromandelicum are reniform, very hard, 8 mm long and 4 mm wide. There are 2 seeds per fruit.

The fruits of Canthium coromandelicum are edible.

The leaves are used as vegetable.

Source : Rajyalakshmi, 2002, Edible Forest Foods of Tribals in South India