Strychnos potatorum

It is a deciduous, much branched small or medium sized tree, or sometimes a shrub grows up to 40 feet. The stem is fluted and covered with black, thick, square to rectangular scales.

Leaves are long, nearly sessile, sub-coriaceous, ovate or elliptic, acute, glabrous and shining, spuriously three or five nerved, with lateral nerves springing from the lower part of the midrib, nearly reaching the tip. Flowers are rather large, white, arranged in short, nearly sessile, axillary cymes, with very short peduncles and pedicels. Fruit is a berry, black when ripe, globose, whitish, shining, with short adpressed yellow silky hai Seeds are globose in shape. The seeds are sold as a water purifier in local markets. Strychnos potatorum, is a herb well known in Ayurvedic treatment of eye diseases, skin diseases, anorexia, diarrhea and renal calculi.