Common Name In Sri Lanka:
Weralu

Scientific Name:
Elaeocarpus serratus 

Other Names:
Ceylon Oliver (English)
 
Plant Size : 6" - 10" Inches
 
A tree with a yellowish-white trunk and spreading branches.Young parts are velvety. The young leaves are brownish-green, turning from dark green to red just before falling off. Leaves are thick, ovate in shape with a teethed margin, tapered base and rounded apex, about 5-10 cm long and 3-5 cm broad. White, tassel-like flowers are borne on a red axis in groups at the leaf nodes. The fruit is ovoid and fleshy about 2-3 cm, olive green, one-seeded, and edible. 

Habitat
Sub-canopy species mostly found in forest edges - up to 900 m.

Special Notes
Native tree to Sri Lanka. Fruit rich in Vitamin C. Also also found in home gardens. 
 
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw or cooked.
 Fleshy and pleasantly subacid.
They can be used in curries and also pickled like olives
 The ovoid fruit is about 3cm long

Medicinal
The leaves are antirheumatic and an antidote to poisoning
The astringent fruits are used in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea


Other Uses
The seeds contain a fixed oil.No further information is given.
The greyish-white wood is light in weight and of little value.
We have no more information on the specific properties of the wood of this species, however the following is a general description of the wood from this genus:-
The heartwood is light-yellowish white to pink-brown, it is not distinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even, with straight to shallowly interlocked grain. The wood is soft to moderately hard; light in weight to moderately heavy; weak; not very durable. It seasons fairly slowly with slight end and surface checking; shrinkage is fairly low. It is easy to resaw and cross-cut; planing is easy and leaves a moderately smooth finish; nailing properties are good. A general purpose wood, it is suitable for purposes such as general planking, shuttering, boxes, crates, wooden pallets, match splints, veneer and plywood.