Pterocarpus

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Pterocarpus
"+arya+" Pterocarpus santalinus cendana janggi - krucuk 2020 04.jpg
Pterocarpus santalinus seed pods
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: Dalbergieae
Genus: Pterocarpus
Jacq. (1763), nom. cons.
Species

See text

Synonyms [1]
  • AmphymeniumKunth (1824)
  • AncylocalyxTul. (1843)
  • EchinodiscusBenth. (1837)
  • EtaballiaBenth. (1840)
  • GriseliniaScop. (1777), nom. superfl.
  • LingoumAdans. (1763), nom. superfl.
  • MalapariusRumph. ex Bosc (1803)
  • MoutouchiAubl. (1775)
  • NephraeaHassk. (1844)
  • NephreaNoronha (1790), nom. nud.
  • PhellocarpusBenth. (1837)
  • PterocarposSt.-Lag. (1880)
  • PterocarpusL. (1754), nom. rej.
  • WeinreichiaRchb. (1828)
Wood of P. officinalis Pterocarpus officinalis MHNT.BOT.2010.6.39.jpg
Wood of P. officinalis

Pterocarpus is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae. [2] [3] Most species of Pterocarpus yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk), usually pronounced /pəˈdk/ or /ˈpædˌk/ ; [4] other common names are mukwa or narra. The west African species may be traded as African rosewood. [5] P. santalinus also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan. [6] [7] The wood from the narra tree ( P. indicus ) and the Burmese padauk tree ( P. macrocarpus ) is marketed as amboyna when it has grown in the burl form. [8] The scientific name is Latinized Ancient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the seed pods in this genus.

Contents

Uses

Padauk wood is obtained from several species of Pterocarpus. All padauks are of African or Asian origin. Padauks are valued for their toughness, stability in use, and decorativeness, most having a reddish wood. Most Pterocarpus [9] woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as dyes.

The padauk found most often is African padauk from P. soyauxii which, when freshly cut, is a very bright red/orange but when exposed to sunlight fades over time to a warm brown. Its colour makes it a favourite among woodworkers. Burmese padauk (ပိတောက်) is P. macrocarpus while Andaman padauk is P. dalbergioides . Padauks can be confused with true rosewoods to which they are somewhat related, but as a general rule padauks are coarser and less decorative in figure. Like rosewood, padauk is sometimes used to make xylophone, organ and marimba keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional Chinese furniture.

African padauk wood African Padauk wood.jpg
African padauk wood

Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections. [10]

Chemistry

Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in Pterocarpus spp. [11]

Species

A total of 35 species is currently accepted: [12] [13]

Notes

1 Some sources treat P. echinatus as a synonym of P. indicus.

Related Research Articles

<i>Arachis</i> Genus of legumes

Arachis is a genus of about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family (Fabaceae), native to South America, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade of the Dalbergieae. At least one species, the peanut, is a major food crop species of global importance; some of the other species are cultivated for food to a small extent in South America. Other species such as A. pintoi are cultivated worldwide as forage and soil conditioner plants, with the leaves providing high-protein feed for grazing livestock and a nitrogen source in agroforestry and permaculture systems.

<i>Dalbergia</i> Genus of legumes

Dalbergia is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Dalbergia clade : the Dalbergieae. The genus has a wide distribution, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia.

<i>Pterocarpus indicus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus indicus is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

<i>Guibourtia</i> Genus of tropical trees

Guibourtia is a flowering plant genus in the family Fabaceae, also known by the common names as Rhodesian copalwood, African Rosewood, amazique, bubinga, kevazingo, and ovangkol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosewood</span> One of several types of wood from tropical trees

Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues and colours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloodwood</span> Index of plants with the same common name

Bloodwood is a common name for several unrelated trees, including:

<i>Pterocarpus angolensis</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus angolensis is a species of Pterocarpus native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The name Kiaat, although Afrikaans, is sometimes used outside South Africa as well. In Zimbabwe, depending on what region you are in, it is known as Mukwa or Mubvamaropa.

<i>Tipuana</i> Genus of legumes

Tipuana tipu, also known as tipa, rosewood and pride of Bolivia, is a South American tree.

<i>Pterocarpus macrocarpus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus macrocarpus, or Burma padauk, is a tree native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been naturalized in India and the Caribbean.

<i>Pterocarpus santalinus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus santalinus, with the common names red sanders, red saunders, Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and saunderswood, is a species of Pterocarpus endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mountain range of South India. This tree is valued for the rich red colour of its wood, and in recent years there has been a marked uptick in the use of red sandalwood as a component of incense, especially in the west. The tree is not to be confused with the aromatic Santalum sandalwood trees that grow natively in Southern India.

<i>Kotschya</i> Genus of legumes

Kotschya is a genus of legumes in the family Fabaceae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Dalbergia clade of the Dalbergieae. It contains the following species:

<i>Lotononis</i> Genus of legumes

Lotononis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae and the tribe Crotalarieae. Almost all of the species in the genus occur in southern Africa.

<i>Platymiscium</i> Genus of legumes

Platymiscium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae. It has a Neotropical distribution, from northern Mexico to southern Brazil. Platymiscium is the only genus in the family with opposite leaves in all its species. Its wood has various uses, mostly for constructions and furniture. It's wood is also sometimes referred to as Granadillo, Macacauba, Macawood, Hormigo, or Orange Agate.

<i>Pterocarpus dalbergioides</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus dalbergioides, the Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood or East Indian mahogany, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is sometimes called "narra", but this is just a generic term used for any of several Pterocarpus species. It is native to the Andaman Islands.

<i>Pterocarpus soyauxii</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus soyauxii, the African padauk or African coralwood, is a species of Pterocarpus in the family Fabaceae, native to central and tropical west Africa, from Nigeria east to Congo-Kinshasa and south to Angola.

<i>Aeschynomene</i> Genus of legumes

Aeschynomene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Dalbergia clade of the Dalbergieae. They are known commonly as jointvetches. These legumes are most common in warm regions and many species are aquatic. The genus as currently circumscribed is paraphyletic and it has been suggested that the subgenus Ochopodium be elevated to a new genus within the Dalbergieae, though other changes will also be required to render the genus monophyletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalbergieae</span> Tribe of legumes

The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae. Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera formerly placed in tribes Adesmieae and Aeschynomeneae and to be included in a monophyletic group informally known as the dalbergioids sensu lato. The members of this tribe have a distinctive root nodule morphology, often referred to as an "aeschynomenoid" or "dalbergioid" nodule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical evergreen forests of India</span>

Tropical evergreen forests of India are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Western Ghats, which fringe the Arabian Sea, the coastline of peninsular India, and the greater Assam region in the north-east. Small remnants of evergreen forest are found in Odisha state. Semi-evergreen forest is more extensive than the evergreen formation partly because evergreen forests tend to degrade to semi-evergreen with human interference. There are substantial differences between the three major evergreen forest regions.The average annual rainfall is 65-75 inches.

<i>Pterocarpus rotundifolius</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus rotundifolius, the round-leaved bloodwood, is a species of fabaceous tree that is native to mesic and well-watered woodlands of Africa south of the equator.

References

  1. Pterocarpus Jacq. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  2. Lavin M, Pennington RT, Klitgaard BB, Sprent JI, de Lima HC, Gasson PE (2001). "The dalbergioid legumes (Fabaceae): delimitation of a pantropical monophyletic clade". Am J Bot . 88 (3): 503–33. doi:10.2307/2657116. JSTOR   2657116. PMID   11250829.
  3. Cardoso D, Pennington RT, de Queiroz LP, Boatwright JS, Van Wyk BE, Wojciechowskie MF, Lavin M (2013). "Reconstructing the deep-branching relationships of the papilionoid legumes". S Afr J Bot . 89: 58–75. doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2013.05.001 .
  4. "African Padauk | The Wood Database (Hardwood)". www.wood-database.com. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. The Rosewood Trade: An Illicit Trail from Forest to Furniture Authors: Sandy Ong / Andy Carver, Date: 29 January 2019, URL: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-rosewood-trade-the-illicit-trail-from-forest-to-furniture (Yale School of Environment)
  6. "Zitan | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)". www.wood-database.com. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  7. "Chinese National Standard for Rosewood Furniture - QB/T 2385-2008" (PDF).
  8. Meier E. "The Wood Database".
  9. "Narra". OneToTree. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  10. "AgroForestryTree Database entry for Pterocarpus soyauxii". AgroForestryTree Database. World Agroforestry Centre (WAC). Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  11. "Pterocarpin at knapsack_jsp". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  12. "ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Pterocarpus". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  13. USDA; ARS; National Genetic Resources Program. "GRIN species records of Pterocarpus". Germplasm Resources Information Network—(GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2014.

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