2. General Information
Amla (Indian gooseberry) is a medium sized plant
that grows not more than 18 meters in height. The
trunk is slightly curved and the branches are
scattered around.
The bark of the Amla plant is gray with hard
reddish wood. It has a yellowish green or pinkish
color flower and the fruit is pale yellow in color,
round in shape and has six vertical stripes. A
ripened Amla fruit is hard and weights
approximately between 60 and 70 grams.
The leaves are lighter in weight, linear and long in
shape and smells like lemon. Amla is also
commonly called as the Indian gooseberry and
amalaki in Sanskrit language. It's Botanical name is
Phyllanthus Emblica and it pertain to Family
Phyllanthaceae.
3. Origin
According to Indian Mythology it is
believed that when the whole earth was
submerged into the water and Lord
Brahma was immersed in the meditation
of Lord Vishnu. He became so full of
emotions that tears started dropping from
his eyes and fell down on earth and the
Amla tree is generated.
The emblic tree is native to tropical
southeastern Asia, particularly in central
and southern India, Bangladesh, Malaya,
southern China and the Mascarene
Islands.
It is commonly cultivated in home
gardens throughout India and grown
commercially in Uttar Pradesh. Many
trees have been planted in southern
Malaya, Singapore, and throughout
Malaysia.
4. Plantation
Amla is a subtropical plant and
prefers dry subtropical climate.Even
mild frost during the winter months
can be injurious to tree.Though it
can bear temperature upto 46 C
during summer months, but the
temperature should not be high at the
time of flowering.
It affects fruit setting and may
sometime lead to complete
unfruitfulness, if there are hot and
dry winds too.Ample humidity is
essential for initiation of fruit growth
of dormant fruitlets during July –
August. Dry spells result in heavy
dropping and delay in initiation of
fruit growth.
5. Uses
In medical terminology Amla got highest
rating for almost every diseases.
It has got good amount of other uses also.
As this tree can survive in hot climate and
required relatively less water for survival,
it can be planted on hilltops, due to its
deep roots, it can help for soil erosions.
Since amla is a hardy plant, it can be
successfully grown in variable soil
conditions. The deep root system, reduced
foliage, dormancy of fertilized fruitlets
(April- June) makes amla an ideal plant for
arid and semiarid conditions.
