🌿 Rudraksha Plant (Elaeocarpus ganitrus)
🔹 Scientific Classification:
Common Name: Rudraksha
Scientific Name: Elaeocarpus ganitrus
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Native Regions: The Himalayan region, parts of Southeast Asia including Nepal, India (especially Uttarakhand, Assam), Indonesia, and some tropical areas.
🔍 Botanical Description:
🌳 Tree Characteristics:
Type: Evergreen, broad-leaved tree
Height: Typically grows 10 to 30 meters tall
Trunk: Cylindrical with grayish bark
Lifespan: Can live for several decades if undisturbed
🌿 Leaves:
Shape: Simple, elliptical or lance-shaped
Color: Dark green on the top; lighter beneath
Texture: Glossy and leathery
Falling Pattern: Seasonal leaf shedding in some regions
🌸 Flowers:
Color: White to light green
Type: Small, fragrant, bell-shaped
Blooming Season: Typically spring or early summer
🍇 Fruits / Seeds:
Fruit: A drupe (like an olive or cherry)
Size: About 1–2 cm in diameter
Color: Green when unripe, turning blue or blackish when mature
Seed (Rudraksha bead): The inner hard nut is the spiritual bead used in malas (rosaries)
🧘♂️ Spiritual & Medicinal Importance:
Beads (Seeds): Used in prayer malas and believed to possess healing and spiritual properties.
Traditional Beliefs: Rudraksha beads are said to promote calmness, reduce stress, and aid meditation.
Ayurveda: Used in some traditional remedies for mental clarity, blood pressure regulation, and more.
🌱 Cultivation & Growing Conditions:
Climate: Prefers tropical to subtropical climate
Soil: Well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral
Watering: Needs moderate watering; not drought-tolerant when young
Sunlight: Requires full sun to partial shade
Propagation: Mostly through seeds