- Fruit
- Large Oroxylum pods sold at a market in Bangkok, Thailand
Oroxylum indicum | |
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Plate from book Flora de Filipinas, Gran edicion, Atlas I. by Francisco Manuel Blanco, 1880-1883? where name is Bignonia quadripinnata, Blanco. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Bignoniaceae |
Tribe: | Oroxyleae |
Genus: | Oroxylum Vent. |
Species: | O. indicum |
Binomial name | |
Oroxylum indicum | |
Synonyms [1] | |
List
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Oroxylum indicum is a species of flowering plant of the monotypic genus Oroxylum in the family Bignoniaceae. [1] [3] : 128 It is commonly called Indian trumpet tree, [4] oroxylum, [5] Indian trumpet flower, [6] broken bones, [7] scythe tree [8] or tree of Damocles. [9] It can reach a height of 18 metres (59 ft). Various segments of the tree are used in traditional medicine. [9] [10]
Its genus name Oroxylum comes from Greek words ὄροςoros 'mountain' and ξύλονxylon 'wood', its epithet means "from India". [11]
The tree grows up to 27 m (89 ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) with gray bark. A mature tree has few branches [3] : 129 growing large pinnate leaves, which are the largest of all dicot tree leaves. Each leaf stalk is up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) long comprising four pinnate branches, [12] each branch is approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length and comparably wide, [7] [13] borne on petioles or stalks. All parts of the leaflet stalk grow at once, with dead stalks falling off the tree and collecting near the base of the trunk, looking like a pile of broken limb bones. [12] [13]
The flowers grow from long pedicels at the end of 2-4 cm long racemes, their brown or dirty-violet calyxes are leathery. They have a sharp smell and bloom at night to attract pollination by bats. [7] [3] : 129 They form enormous seed pods – the fruits – are up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long that hang down from bare branches, resembling swords. [7] [14] The long fruits curve downward and resemble the wings of a large bird or dangling sickles or swords in the night, giving the name "tree of Damocles". [9] The seeds are round with papery wings. [15]
Oroxylum indicum is native to the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayan foothills with a part extending to Bhutan and southern China, Indochina and the Malesia regions.[ citation needed ] In Vietnam, the tree is called núc nác (sometimes sò đo), and specimens can be found in Cat Tien National Park.
It is visible in the forest biome of Manas National Park in Assam, India. It is found, raised and planted in large number in the forest areas of the Banswara district in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is reported in the list of rare, endangered and threatened plants of Kerala (South India). It is also found in Sri Lanka [16] and also in Mizoram.
Oroxylum indicum lives in relationship with the actinomycete Pseudonocardia oroxyli present in the soil surrounding the roots. [17] Septobasidium bogoriense is a fungal species responsible for velvet blight in O. indicum.[ citation needed ]
Various segments of O. indicum, including leaves, root bark, heartwood, and seeds, contain diverse phytochemicals, such as prunetin, sitosterol, oroxindin, oroxylin-A, biochanin-A, ellagic acid, tetuin, anthraquinone, and emodin. [9] [18] Several of the compounds are under preliminary research to identify their potential biological properties. [9]
The tree is often grown as an ornamental plant for its strange appearance. Materials used include the wood, tannins and dyestuffs. [19]
The plant is used by the Kirat, Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu, Yakha, Tamang in Nepal, the Thai in Thailand and the Lao in Laos.
In the Himalayas, people hang sculptures or garlands made from O. indicum (Skr. shyonaka) seeds from the roof of their homes in belief they provide protection. [20]
It is a plant with edible leaves, flower buds, pods and stems. [3] : 130 The large young pods, known as Lin mai or Lin fa in Loei, are eaten especially in Thailand and Laos. They are first grilled over charcoal fire and then the inner tender seeds are usually scraped and eaten along with lap. [21] Known as karongkandai among the Bodos of north east India, its flowers and fruit are eaten as a bitter side dish with rice. Its fruit are eaten as a side dish and water of boiled leave and bark as traditional medicine in Mizoram. It is known in Mizoram as Archangkawm. It is often prepared with fermented or dried fish and believed by them to have medicinal uses. The pods also eaten by Chakma people in Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh and India. Its called "Hona Gulo 𑄦𑄧𑄚 𑄉𑄪𑄣𑄮" in Chakma language.
The plant is used as food by the Karen people. The flower buds are boiled and pickled. The young pods are cut open raw and the tender seeds inside, having the color and texture of lettuce leaves, are used in various local dishes. [22]
Oroxylum indicum seeds are used in traditional Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines. [9] Root bark is one of the ingredients thought to be useful in compound formulations in Ayurveda and other folk remedies. [9] [23] [24]
Kelantanese and Javanese peoples forge a type of keris in the shape of the plant's seed pod called the keris buah beko. [25]
Because the pods are shaped like swords, people in West Java believe planting oroxylum trees can protect their homes from thieves. [3] : 130
The Onge name for the tree is talaralu. [26] According to an Onge myth, the first of the Onge people, also named Onge, was created by Eyuge (monitor lizard) from oroxylum wood. Onge made a shelter and planted oroxylum trees around it, and created more human beings from the trees. The trees were planted in pairs, giving rise to both Onge men and women. Only Onge people were created in this way; Onge mythology offers no explanation for the existence of non-indigenous people or other indigenous Andamanese peoples. [27]
Cassia fistula, also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, Kani Konna, Konna Poo or pudding-pipe tree, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It is the official state flower of Kerala state in India. It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine.
Gnetum gnemon is a gymnosperm species of Gnetum, its native area spans from Mizoram and Assam in India down south through Malay Peninsula, Malay Archipelago and the Philippines in southeast Asia to the western Pacific islands. Common names include gnetum, joint fir, two leaf, melinjo, belinjo, bago, and tulip.
Acacia auriculiformis, commonly known as auri, karuvel in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and aakashmani in West Bengal, is a fast-growing, crooked, gnarly tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It grows up to 30 metres (98 ft) tall. Acacia auriculiformis has about 47,000 seeds per kilogram (21,000/lb).
Parkia speciosa, the bitter bean, twisted cluster bean, sator bean, stink bean, or petai is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. It bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, similar to, but stronger than that of the shiitake mushroom, due to sulfur-containing compounds also found in shiitake, truffles and cabbage.
Mesua ferrea, the Ceylon ironwood, or cobra saffron, is a species in the family Calophyllaceae native to the Indomalayan realm. This slow-growing tree is named after the heaviness and hardness of its timber. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its graceful shape, grayish-green foliage with a beautiful pink to red flush of drooping young leaves, and large, fragrant white flowers. It is the national tree of Sri Lanka, as well as the state tree of Mizoram and state flower of Tripura in India.
Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. Common names include moringa, drumstick tree, horseradish tree, or malunggay.
Senegalia rugata is a spiny climbing shrub native to China and tropical Asia, common in the warm plains of central and south India. It is renowned as a raw material for shampoo, and the leaves and young shoots are often eaten. Archaeobotanical evidence shows its use for hair care in the pre-Harrapan levels of Banawali, some 4500–4300 years ago.
Pongamia pinnata is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. It is the sole species in genus Pongamia. It is often known by the synonym Millettia pinnata. Its common names include Indian beech and Pongame oiltree.
Prunus cerasoides, commonly known as pahhiya (पैयाँ), the wild Himalayan cherry or sour cherry is a species of deciduous cherry tree in the family Rosaceae.
Adenanthera pavonina is a perennial and non-climbing species of leguminous tree. Its uses include food and drink, traditional medicine, and timber.
Pithecellobium dulce, commonly known as Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, monkeypod tree or camachile, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Pacific Coast and adjacent highlands of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is also sometimes known as monkeypod, but that name is also used for several other plants, including Samanea saman. It is an introduced species and extensively naturalized in the Caribbean and Florida, as well as the Philippines and Guam via the Manila galleons. It has also been introduced to Cambodia, Thailand and South Asia, It is considered an invasive species in Hawaii.
Pseudonocardia oroxyli is a soil-dwelling actinomycete that was isolated from the roots of the South-East Asia tree Oroxylum indicum.
Moringa stenopetala, commonly known as the African Moringa or cabbage tree, is a deciduous tree in the plant genus Moringa, native to Kenya and Ethiopia. A drought-resistant species, it is characterized by its bottle-shaped trunk, long twisted seed pods, and edible leaves likened to cabbage, from which its common name is derived. M. stenopetala is extirpated in the wild in Ethiopia, though still grown there as a crop on the terraces of the Ethiopian Highlands, mainly in the Konso region.
Parkia javanica Lam., syn. Parkia roxburghii G. Don. is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Mimosaceae. Description-
Clerodendrum infortunatum, known as bhat or hill glory bower, is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Lamiaceae, also sometimes classified under Verbenaceae. It is the type species among ~150 species of Clerodendrum. It is one of the most well-known natural health remedies in traditional practices and siddha medicine.
Berberis aristata, also known as Indian barberry, Mara manjal (மரமஞ்சள்),"chutro" or "sumbal" ortree turmeric, is a shrub belonging to the family Berberidaceae and the genus Berberis. The genus comprises approximately 450-500 species of deciduous evergreen shrubs and is found in the temperate and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Europe, and the Americas. B. aristata is native to the Himalayas in India and in Nepal. It is also naturally found in the Nilgiri Mountains of southern India and in Sri Lanka.
Rhizophora mucronata is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.
Handroanthus heptaphyllus, commonly referred to as the pink trumpet tree or pink tab, is a Bignoniaceae tree native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America. It grows in the high forest watershed of the Paraná River, Paraguay River and Uruguay River. It has a limited distribution, almost exclusively inhabiting low lands with wet and deep soils, where it forms part of the upper layer of tree cover.
Ziziphus cambodiana is a deciduous thorny shrub, or vine, some 2–6 m tall, found growing in secondary undergrowth in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and northern Thailand.
A small tree with tortuous twigs, Dillenia pentagyna is a member of the family Dilleniaceae, and is found from Sulawesi to South-Central China to India and Sri Lanka. Material from the tree has some minor uses.