Butea

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Butea
STS 001 Butea monosperma.jpg
Butea monosperma flowers in India
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Phaseoleae
Genus: Butea
Roxb. ex Willd. (1802), nom. cons.
Type species
Butea monosperma
Species [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • MegalotropisGriff. (1854)
  • MeizotropisVoigt (1845)
  • PlasoAdans. (1763)
Butea monosperma seed pods Butea monosperma (Dhak) fruits at Canopy W2 IMG 7498.jpg
Butea monosperma seed pods

Butea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the pea family, Fabaceae. It includes five species native to the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Tibet, and southern China. [1] It is sometimes considered to have only two species, B. monosperma and B. superba , [2] or is expanded to include four or five. [3]

Contents

Butea monosperma is used for timber, resin, fodder, herbal medicine, and dyeing.

Butea[ clarification needed ] is also a host to the lac insect, which produces natural lacquer. [4]

Taxonomy

Butea is named after John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792), member of parliament, prime minister for one year, and a patron of botany. [5] William Roxburgh erected the genus Butea in 1795, but it became a nomen invalidum. Carl Willdenow validated the name Butea in 1802.

Uses

Butea monosperma, called kiṃśukha in Sanskrit, is used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat various symptoms. [6]

Species

Forty-two names have been published in Butea, [7] but forty of these are either synonyms or names of species that have been transferred to other genera. [4] Five species are currently accepted. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Butea Roxb. ex Willd. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. Gwilym Lewis, Brian Schrire, Barbara MacKinder, and Mike Lock. 2005. Legumes of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Richmond, England.
  3. Dezhao Chen; Dianxiang Zhang & Mats Thulin. "Butea". Flora of China Online. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 Munivenkatappa Sanjappa. 1987. "Revision of the genera Butea Roxb. ex Willd. and Meizotropis Voigt (Fabaceae)". Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India29:199-225.
  5. Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC; USA. London, UK. ISBN   978-0-8493-2675-2
  6. Soman, I.; Mengi, S. A.; Kasture, S. B. (September 2004). "Effect of leaves of Butea frondosa on stress, anxiety, and cognition in rats". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 79 (1): 11–16. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2004.05.022. ISSN   0091-3057. PMID   15388278.
  7. Butea At: IPNI