Peltophorum pterocarpum

Peltophorum pterocarpum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Peltophorum
Species:	P. pterocarpum
Binomial name
Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) K. Heyne
Synonyms
Baryxylum inerme (Roxb.) Pierre Brasilettia ferruginea (Decne.) Kuntze Caesalpinia arborea Miq. Caesalpinia ferruginea Decne. Caesalpinia gleniei Thwaites Caesalpinia inermis Roxb. Inga pterocarpa DC. Inga pterocarpum DC. [Spelling variant] Peltophorum ferrugineum (Decne.) Benth. Peltophorum inerme (Roxb.) Naves Peltophorum inerme (Roxb.) Náves ex Fern.-Vill. Peltophorum roxburghii (G.Don) Degener Poinciana roxburghii G.Don [1]

Peltophorum pterocarpum (copperpod, golden flamboyant, yellow flamboyant, yellow flame tree, yellow poinciana, konda chinta or pachha sunkesula (కొండ చింత/పచ్చ సుంకేసుల) in Telugu, "perunkonrai" (பெருங்கொன்றை) in Tamil, "radhachura" in Bengali) is a species of Peltophorum, native to tropical southeastern Asia and a popularly ornamental tree grown around the world.

Description

Flower, buds, leaves, fruit and squirrel in Kolkata, India where it is known by the name radhachura in contrast with the reddish krishnachura or Delonix regia

It is a deciduous tree growing to 15–25 m (rarely up to 50 m) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 1 m belonging to Family Leguminosae and sub-family Caesalpiniaceaea. The leaves are bipinnate, 30–60 cm long, with 16-20 pinnae, each pinna with 20-40 oval leaflets 8–25 mm long and 4–10 mm broad. The flowers are yellow, 2.5–4 cm diameter, produced in large compound racemes up to 20 cm long.

The fruit is a pod 5–10 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, red at first, ripening black, and containing one to four seeds. Trees begin to flower after about four years.^[2][3]

Distribution

The Kalayaan Tree (Tree of Freedom or siar tree, Peltophorum pterocarpum, located near the front of the Malolos Cathedral).

Peltophorum pterocarpum is native to tropical southeastern Asia and northern Australasia, in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines(doubtfully native), and the islands off the coast of Northern Territory, Australia.^[2][4]

Uses

The tree is widely grown in tropical regions as an ornamental tree, particularly in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Florida and Hawaii in the United States. The trees have been planted alternately in India as a common scheme for avenue trees in India alternately with Delonix regia (gulmohur) to give a striking yellow and red effect in summer, as has been done on Hughes road in Mumbai.^[5]

The wood has a wide variety of uses, including cabinet-making^[6] and the foliage is used as a fodder crop.^[2] The brownish colour called sogan typical of batik cloth from inland Java is produced from P. pterocarpum, which is known there as soga.^[7]

References

1. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/ild-24832
2. World AgroForestry Centre: Yellow Poinciana
3. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
4. Germplasm Resources Information Network: Peltophorum pterocarpum
5. Blatter, Ethelbert; Millard, Walter Samuel (1977) [1937]. Some beautiful Indian Trees (2 ed.). Mumbai: Bombay natural History Society. p. 165.
6. McCann, Charles. (1966). 100 Beautiful Trees of India. (3/ed) Taraporevala, Mumbai. Pg 259.
7. Widianto, Eko (14 April 2014). articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d "Malang Exhibits Royal Batik from Various Regions" Check |url= value (help). Tempo. Retrieved 30 April 2014.