CHAMPAC

also spelled champak (Michelia champaca) Asian tree of the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). Lustrous leaved, pyramidal, and about 30 m (100 feet) tall, the mature plant bears fragrant, star-shaped yellow flowers, which are the source of champac perfume and of a yellow dye. It is often grown as a boulevard tree in the tropics, and is also frequently planted on Hindu temple grounds because it is considered sacred to the god Vishnu. The tree has smooth gray bark, oval-shaped 25-centimetre- (10-inch-) long evergreen leaves, and 6.5-centimetre yellow-to-orange, narrow-petaled flowers that bloom in spring and fall. Scarlet or brown seeds cluster along a long stalk. Champac wood takes a good polish and is used for making boats, drums, and religious images. In India, however, where it is revered, the tree is rarely cut. A related species, Michelia compressa, is a 12-metre Japanese tree with 2.5-centimetre, fragrant yellow flowers.