Chukrasia tabularis

Chukrasia tabularis, the Indian mahogany, is a deciduous tree, which is a monotypic genus in the family Meliaceae. It is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam. Also introduced to many western countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, South Africa and United States. The plant is widely used in Ayurveda as an important medicinal plant.

The trees are tall with a cylindrical bole and spreading crown. C. velutina leaves are abruptly pinnate or bipinnate with leaflets that alternate or are subopposite, entire and unequal at the base. The erect, oblong flowers, which are rather large and born in terminal panicles, possess four to five petals. Mature fruits are a septifragally three to five valved capsule. The genus Chukrasia appears to be monotypic.

Leaves of C. velutina contain quercetin and its 3-galactoside, galloyl glucoside, tannic acid and a flavone. The bark contains sitosterol, melianone, scopoletin, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, tetranorterpenes and tabularin. The wood contains bussein homologue and chukrasins A, B, C, D and F. The root contains a triterpene, cedrelone.