Axlewood (Terminalia anogeissiana)

Terminalia anogeissiana, long known as Anogeissus latifolia, is dhaura or axlewood, one of the commonest trees of India’s dry deciduous forests. Its tough wood made cart axles and tool handles, its bark yields gum ghatti, a food emulsifier, and its leaves feed the silkworms that make tasar silk. Its leaves turn coppery-red before they fall.

Botanical name: Terminalia anogeissiana Gere & Boatwr.
Family: Combretaceae
Tamil: Vekkali
Hindi: Dhaura
Parts used: Gum (industrial), Leaf (tannin, not a tonic)
Habit: Dry-forest Terminalia; arjuna is T. arjuna
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Axlewood

It is a medium-sized tree with smooth, pale grey to whitish bark that peels in small flakes.

The leaves are simple, oval and leathery, alternate or nearly opposite, and turn red or coppery in the cold season.

Small greenish flowers are packed into round heads. The fruit heads are clusters of tiny, two-winged, beaked fruits.

Arjuna, Terminalia arjuna, is a riverbank tree with thick, smooth, patchy bark and large, five-winged fruits.

Traditional use of Axlewood

Timber

The hard, tough, elastic wood was used for axles, shafts, tool handles and agricultural implements.

Indian village practice

Gum and silk

Gum ghatti is collected from the bark, and tasar silkworms are reared on dhaura leaves in central and eastern India.

Indian forest economy

Modern notes on Axlewood

Gum ghatti is approved as a food additive. It is used as an emulsifier in drinks, sauces and dairy products.

Botanists merged Anogeissus into Terminalia in 2017 after DNA studies, which is why the name changed.

Axlewood safety

Gum ghatti is a food additive in small amounts. The plant itself has no established medical use.

Ecology and sourcing

It is one of the dominant trees of dry deciduous forests across peninsular and central India.

Its winged fruits are dispersed by wind, and it coppices well after cutting.

Gum tapping by deep cuts can harm trees, so collection guidelines recommend shallow incisions.

Related plants

Also in Combretaceae

Questions about Axlewood

Is Axlewood arjuna?

No. Arjuna is Terminalia arjuna, a riverbank tree.

What older names does Terminalia anogeissiana go by?

Anogeissus latifolia.

What is gum ghatti used for?

As an emulsifier in foods and drinks.

Where does Axlewood grow?

In dry deciduous forests across central and peninsular India.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.