Madhuca longifolia is a multipurpose tropical tree found largely in the central and north India and Sri Lanka. So it is a native plant to Sri Lanka. It is commonly known as Indian Butter Nut in English and Mee in Sinhalese. 

It is a fast-growing tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height, possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage, and belongs to the family Sapotaceae. It is adaptable to arid environments, being a prominent tree in tropical mixed deciduous forests in Sri Lanka. In ancient times of the Island when the Ceylonese Kings ruled the country they had identified a highest potential of Madhuca longifolia interactions with some avian for the fertilizer fixation to Sri Lankan rich soil. Healthyliving.lk brings you the fascination of this plant to be in a part of your eco-friendly garden. 

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.

Morphology

Madhuca longifolia is a medium-sized deciduous tree, which grows to a height of 16-20 m. It has a short, stout trunk, 80 cm in diameter. The crown is rounded with multiple branches. The bark is grey, vertically cracked and wrinkled, exfoliating in thin scales. The leaves are alternate and clustered at the end of branchlets. The leaf blade is simple, 10-25 cm long x 6-12 cm broad, oblong-shaped, rigid, thick and firm, woolly at the lower face and exuding a milky sap when broken. Young leaves are pinkish or reddish-brown. Flowering occurs in February-April or May-June. Flowers are borne on green or pink, furry bunches, each bunch consisting of 12 fragrant cream-coloured flowers. The flowers live for only one night and then fall to the ground. Pollinated flowers develop into a fleshy, greenish ovoid fruit containing 1-4 shiny, oily brown seeds. These long-lived trees start bearing fruits 10 years after planting and can yield fruits for up to 60 years. Old trees are more productive than young trees. Irrigation may be useful during fruit development but should be avoided during flowering and leaf shedding. The seeds are 3-5 cm long, elliptical and flattened on one side (Orwa et al., 2009). A full grown tree can produce up to 90 kg of flowers in a year

Distribution 

Madhuca longifolia is indigenous to India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar (Fern, 2014). It is a frost resistant species that can grow in marginal areas of dry tropical and subtropical deciduous forests up to an altitude of 1200-1800 m. It can be found scattered in pastures, dry plain forests, crop cultivated fields in Sri Lanka, and on rivers banks in semi-evergreen forests. It grows well where annual rainfall is between 500 mm to 1500 mm, and where temperatures are in the range of 2-46°C. Mee tree does better on deep loamy or sandy-loam soils with good drainage, but it also occurs on shallow stony, clayey and calcareous soils.

Why mee trees cultivated? 

This plant is cultivating - mainly cultivated or harvested in the wild in Southern Asia for its edible flowers and oil seeds. Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used for its medicinal value. It also gives more nutrients to soil with the help of avian. In ancient Sri Lanka, this tree was mentioned as a very important plant and had cultivated in paddy fields along with (Terminalia arjuna -kubuk, Tithonia diversifolia - naththa sooriya) for nourishing the soil. The natural fertilizers were the key point in ancient paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka as the rice is the staple food still. 

Medicinal Value of mee tree

Mostly the plant is used in local indigenous medical practices in many countries. India and Sri Lanka are using Madhuca longifolia for Ayurvedic medicine. According to the Ayurvedic medical practitioners all the five parts (paswagaya) [root, bark, flower, leaf and seed/ whole fruit] of Madhuca longifolia are used for the medicines. 

Flower:

The flowers are regarded as anthelmintic, cooling, tonic, laxative and demulcent. They are used in the treatment of coughs, colds and bronchitis. They are also used in the treatment of snakebites. The dried flowers are used as a fomentation in the treatment of orchitis, being valued for their sedative effect.

Bark:

The bark is used medicinally in the treatment of leprosy. A decoction of the bark is given to diabetic patients in Nepal. It is also used externally to treat itchy skin and bleeding gums. The bark is astringent and emollient.  A decoction of the bark is given to diabetic patients in Nepal. The bark is used externally to treat itchy skin and bleeding gums. Tannin is obtained from the bark. The latex is used in the treatment of rheumatism. Mee is also used for its hard, strong, dense and reddish timber (Orwa et al., 2009).

Leaf:

Leaves, flowers and fruits are also lopped as an animal feed too.

Root:

Roots are used for the remedies to cure the airy imbalancement of the body in Ayurvedic medicine. 

Seed:

An essential oil obtained from the fruit contains 22.7% ethyl cinnamate. The oil from the seeds is used in the treatment of skin diseases. Mee oil is a very important oil in Ayurvedic treatments and remedies. The average oil content of Mee oil is 32.92 to 57.53 %. Mee oil has emollient properties and is used in skin disease, rheumatism and headache. It is also a laxative and considered useful in habitual constipation, piles and haemorrhoids and as an emetic. Native tribes also used it as an illuminant and hair fixer. An oil 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. Also oil is reported to have potential use in biodiesel production. The seed cakes obtained after extraction of oil constitute very good fertilizer. Also used as a fertilizer, and could be used to control root-knot nematode and fungal infections because the high saponin content reduces nematodes and phytopathogenic fungi (Gupta, 2013; Orwa et al., 2009). 

Agricultural Value / Agricultural Impact 

Mee flowers produce a nectar that is very valuable to honey bees in periods of scarcity (Singh et al., 2008). It focuses on the attributes of plants suitable for food forests, what each can contribute to a food forest ecosystem, including carbon sequestration, and the kinds of foods they yield. Community and small-scale food forests can provide a real alternative to intensive industrialized agriculture, and help to combat the many interrelated environmental crises that threaten the very future of life on Earth.

The tree has a large spreading superficial root system that holds soil together. It is planted on wasteland with hard lateritic soils in most South Asian countries. This tree is drought resistant and therefore is important to use in dry zones in the country for the shades in the fields. 

The Mee tree had mostly cultivated/planted near the cultivated or agro lands in ancient Sri Lanka. The flowers of the Mee tree are highly attracted to bats. After the bats have perched on the trees, they feed on the flowers and seeds of the plant. Then they drop in the same place- near the plant. Bats droppings are enriched with soil nutrients and those can contribute to a higher fertility of the soil in agricultural lands.  Madhuca longifolia is cultivated in warm and humid regions for its oleaginous seeds (producing between 20 and 200 kg of seeds annually per tree, depending on maturity), flowers and wood. The tree has a great cultural significance. There are many varieties of food prepared with its fruits and flowers. 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.

. (Sources – research publications)