White Cheesewood
Alstonia scholaris
The species name 'scholaris' refers to the historical use of its light, easily worked wood to create writing slates for school children.
- Scientific name
- Alstonia scholaris
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Gentianales › Apocynaceae › Alstonia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Tropical and subtropical rainforests, monsoon forests, and secondary regrowth areas.
- Diet
- Photoautotrophic (Sunlight, CO2, and mineral nutrients).
- Range
- India, Southeast Asia, Southern China, Northern Australia, Sri Lanka
- Size
- Reaches heights of up to 40 meters with a trunk diameter of 1.2 meters.
- Lifespan
- 60 to 100 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat conversion for agriculture, urbanization, and over-harvesting of bark for pharmaceutical and traditional medicinal use.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to observe from a distance. The tree produces a thick, milky white latex that is a skin and eye irritant and toxic if ingested. Avoid breaking leaves or bark; if skin contact occurs, wash thoroughly with soap and water.
Alstonia scholaris (commonly called blackboard tree , devil tree , ditabark , milkwood-pine , white cheesewood ) is an evergreen tropical tree in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Indomalaya, Malesia, and Australasia.
Photo: Ong Jyh Seng, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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