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Karanja

Local Name	:	Karanja
Botanical Name	:	Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre
Common Name	:	Karanja, Indian beech
Family	:	Fabaceace
Distribution	:	Found throughout India including Odisha. It is also distributed in South-Eastern Asia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaya, Australia, Florida, Hawaii, Malaysia, Oceania, Philippines, Polynesia, and Seychelles.
Habit	:	Tree
Short Description	:	It is a medium-sized, fast-growing deciduous tree, valued for its oil-rich seeds. It grows up to 20 meters tall and has glossy, pinnate leaves and clusters of fragrant, white to pinkish flowers.

Descriptions

It is a medium-sized, semi-evergreen tree. Leaves are compound, imparipinnate, and spiral. They have 5–9 leaflets that are ovate, elliptical, or oblong. The leaflets are short-stalked, obtuse-acuminate apex and rounded to cuneate base. The fruit is a pod, elongated and has a dry or hard covering, brown in color. Seeds are bean like.

Flowering & Fruiting Period

April-January

Use(s)

Seed oil is used in skin infections. It has high demand in the Ayurvedic industry. The whole plant parts do phytoremediation.