Wild Flowers ‹‹ Go Back
The genus Gmelina belongs to the family Lamiaceae that consists of about 35 species in South-east Asia, India, Australia, New Guinea and Africa. The famed Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus had named this genus in honour of botanist Johann Georg Gmelin.
Other than in Sri Lanka the above species is found in India, Myanmar, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Demata is a very common shrub found in all dry and intermediate zone National Parks in the country. It is very common in Yala, Kumana, Udawalawa, Wasgomuwa, Galoya, Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks but is not found in the hills.
In Wilpattu this is one the commonest flowering bushes. I have seen the flowers of this species from May to September. The green berries turn yellow when ripe.