of the plant. The population in India is rapidly decreasing, partly due to over-exploitation of the plant (particularly for seeds), and partly due to habitat destruction. It is cited as vulnerable in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Vernacular names veralu (වෙරළු) (Sinhala) veralikkai (Tamil) kaarakka, kaara (Malayalam) belfoi(ꠛꠦꠟꠚꠁ) (Sylheti, Bangladesh) jalpai (জলপাই) (Bengali) okhi-siming (Karbi language, Assam) zolphai (জলফাই) (Assamese) chorphon (Meitei language, Manipur) rudraksh (India) bead tree (India) Ceylon-olive (English) Uses The taxa is used as an ornamental plant and its fruit are eaten. In Sri Lanka the fruit is well known. In Sri Lanka pickled Ceylon olives are eaten as popular street food. Use of the plant is recorded historically in India, the fruit was believed to ward off evil spirits and omens. In recent folk medicine, various parts of the plant have been used to treat a large variety of ailments. People living in Mai Municipality, Ilam District, far-eastern Nepal, use the plant as part of folk medicine and in religion. Juice from the bark is drunk in treatment for jaundice, while a paste from the seed is eaten in belief of a treatment for pneumonia and ulcer. The Karbi people of Karbi Anglong District, Assam, harvest both ripe and unripe fruit from August to October, the ripe fruit is made into a pickle, the taste of the fruit is sour. Both ripe and unripe fruit are also sold in local markets, in the years 2005-2007 they fetched Rs.20/- to 30/- per kilogram (cheap, but not in the cheapest price range). The fruits are high in starch and sugar and have low amounts of protein and iron. It may help treat diarrhoea due to its constipating effect.. History The founder of modern biological nomenclature, the Swede Carl Linnaeus (1707-78) named the species in 1753 in his work Species Plantarum. The weibelii variety was named by the taxonomist Sue Zmarzty (born 1959) in 2001, publishing the description in the Kew Bulletin, 56(2), page 437. References serratus Edible plants Flora of Assam (region) Flora of Bangladesh Flora of Arunachal Pradesh Flora of Karnataka Flora of Kerala Flora of Sri Lanka Flora of Tamil Nadu Plants described in 1753 Plants described in 2001