| Neolamarckia cadamba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tree inKolkata,West Bengal,India. | |
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| Close-up of flower | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Neolamarckia |
| Species: | N. cadamba |
| Binomial name | |
| Neolamarckia cadamba | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Neolamarckia cadamba, with Englishcommon namesburflower-tree,laran, andLeichhardt pine,[2] and calledkadamba orkadam orcadamba[2] locally, is anevergreen, tropical tree native toSouth andSoutheast Asia. The genus name honours French naturalistJean-Baptiste Lamarck. It has scented orange flowers in dense globe-shaped clusters. The flowers are used in perfumes. The tree is grown as anornamental plant and for timber and paper-making. Kadamba features inIndian religions.
A fully mature tree can reach up to 45 m (148 ft) in height.[3] It is a large tree with a broad crown and straight cylindrical bole. It is quick growing, with broad spreading branches and grows rapidly in the first 6–8 years. The trunk has a diameter of 100–160 cm, but typically less than that. Leaves are 13–32 cm (5.1–12.6 in) long.[3] Flowering usually begins when the tree is 4–5 years old.
Itsflowers are sweetly fragrant, red to orange in colour, occurring in dense, globular heads of approximately 5.5 cm (2.2 in) diameter. The fruit ofN. cadamba occur in small, fleshy capsules packed closely together to form a fleshy yellow-orange infructescence containing approximately 8000 seeds. On maturing, the fruit splits apart, releasing the seeds, which are then dispersed by wind or rain.[4][5]
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N. cadamba is native to the following areas:
It is an introduced species inPuerto Rico atToro Negro State Forest.[7]
Thelarvae ofModuza procris, abrush-footed butterfly, andArthroschista hilaralis, a moth, consume this species. The flowers attract pollinators.
Thebotanical name of this species has been the subject of a longtaxonomic debate, beginning in the 1930s. The problem arose because scientific names are based ontype specimens. In 1785Jean-Baptiste Lamarck described a specimen under the nameCephalanthus chinensis, stating that it came fromMadagascar. In 1830,Achille Richard created the nameAnthocephalus indicus, stating that the species came from Asia and that his description was based on the same specimen as Lamarck'sCephalanthus chinensis.[8] (Under the rules of theInternational Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, Richard should have used the nameA. chinensis rather thanA. indicus, as he should not have changed the specific epithet.)
The issue is whether Richard was indeed using the same specimen as Lamarck; the geographical origin is said to be different, and the descriptions do not match; for example in Lamarck'sCephalanthus chinensis theinflorescences areaxillary whereas in Richard'sAnthocephalus they are terminal. If specimens were the same, thenAnthocephalus is a synonym of the MadagascanCephalanthus and cannot be a generic name for the Asian kadam tree. If they were different (in spite of Richard's claim that they were the same) thenAnthocephalus could be a generic name for the kadam tree. Based on the latter view, the nameAnthocephalus chinensis has been widely used for the kadam tree.[8]
The current view taken by most taxonomic sources is that Richard'sAnthocephalus indicus orAnthocephalus chinensis is a synonym ofCephalanthus chinensis (now transferred to the genusBreonia asBreonia chinensis(Lam.) Capuron), and that the widespread use ofAnthocephalus chinensis for the kadam tree is an error. (This erroneous sense of the scientific name is shown by writingA. chinensis auct., where "auct." is an abbreviation of the Latin for "of authors", i.e. rather than of the correct authority.)[1][2][8]
Given that Richard's name for the kadam tree is incorrect, the earliest name isWilliam Roxburgh's 1824Nauclea cadamba. In 1984,Jean Marie Bosser created the new generic nameNeolamarckia, honouring Lamarck, for the Asian genus which matched Richard's description of hisAnthocephalus, transferringNauclea cadamba asNeolamarckia cadamba(Roxb.) Bosser.[8] However, not all botanical sources have accepted this taxonomic analysis and the nameAnthocephalus is still in use for the Asian genus.[9]
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The fruit and inflorescences are reportedly edible by humans. The fresh leaves are fed to cattle.N. lamarckia is grown as anornamental, and for low-grade timber and paper. The timber is used for plywood, light construction, pulp and paper, boxes and crates, dug-out canoes, and furniture components. Kadamba yields a pulp of satisfactory brightness and performance as a hand sheet. The wood can be easily impregnated with synthetic resins to increase its density andcompressive strength. The wood has a density of 290–560 kg/cu m at 15% moisture content, a fine to medium texture; straight grain; low luster and has no characteristic odor or taste. It is easy to work, with hand and machine tools, cuts cleanly, gives a very good surface and is easy to nail. The timber air dries rapidly with little or no degrade. Kadamba wood is very easy to preserve using either open tank or pressure-vacuum systems.
Kadamba is one of the most frequently planted trees in the tropics. The tree is grown along avenues, roadsides and villages for shade. Kadamba are suitable for reforestation programs. It sheds large amounts of leaf and non-leaf litter which on decomposition improves some physical andchemical properties of soil under its canopy. This reflects an increase in the level of soil organic carbon,cation-exchange capacity, available plant nutrients and exchangeable bases.
A yellow dye is obtained from the root bark. Kadamba flowers are an important raw material in the production of ‘attar’, which is Indian perfume withsandalwood (Santalum spp.) base in which one of the essences is absorbed through hydro-distillation. An extract of the leaves serves as a mouth gargle. The bulbous fruit (bearing flowers) is edible and is consumed raw in Northern India. It is fragrant, sweet and little tangy in taste and is widely enjoyed as relish.
The leaf extract has recently been used to producesilver nanoparticles forsurface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.[10]
The kadamba flower was the emblem ofAthmallik State, one of theprincely states ofIndia during the period of theBritish Raj.[11]
The kadamba lends its name to theKadamba Dynasty that ruled from Banavasi in what is now the state ofKarnataka from 345 CE to 525 CE, as per Talagunda inscription of c.450 CE.[12] The kadamba tree was considered aholy tree by the Kadamba dynasty.[13]
According toHindu tradition the 27nakshatras, constituting 12Houses (Rasis) and nineplanets, are specifically represented precisely by 27 trees —one for each star. The kadamba tree is said to representShatabhisha, roughly corresponding toAquarii.[14]
Kadamba is mentioned in theBhagavata Purana. InNorth India, it is associated withKrishna while in the south it is known as "Parvati’s tree".Radha and Krishna are supposed to have played in the hospitable and sweet-scented shade of the kadamba tree.[15] In theSangam period ofTamil Nadu,Murugan of Tirupparankundram Hill ofMadurai was referred to as a centre ofnature worship. He was in the form of a spear under a kadamba tree.[16]
An episode from the life of Krishna narrates of when he stole the garments ofgopis when they were bathing in a pond nearVrindavan.Varuna, the sea-god, had forbidden nude bathing in rivers, ponds and other public places, but gopis often resorted to it. One day, to teach them a lesson, Krishna reached the bank of the pond where they were taking a bath and took away their garments and spread them on the branches of nearby kadamba tree. He himself climbed the tree and hid there behind a branch. After the gopis had bathed, they looked for their garments but found them missing. Suddenly their attention was drawn to the nearby kadamba tree by the stirring of its branches. When they looked up, they saw Krishna hiding there and their garments scattered all over the branches of the tree. Krishna insisted that they come out naked to receive their garments. This episode is portrayed in song, story, painting and artifacts, in the backdrop of the kadamba tree.[17]
Karam-Kadamba is a popular harvest festival, celebrated on the eleventh lunar day of the monthBhadrapada. A twig of the tree is brought and worshipped in the courtyard of the house. Later in the day, young ears of grain are distributed among friends and relatives. This festive custom has been adopted by the Tulu people.Onam (Kerala) andHuttari (Kodagu) are regional variants of this festival.[18]Kadambotsava ("The festival of Kadamba") is also the festival that is celebrated every year by theGovernment of Karnataka in honor of the Kadamba kingdom, the first ruling Kingdom of Karnataka, atBanavasi, as it was here that the Kadamba kings organised the spring festival every year.[19]
The kadamba tree is also associated with atree deity called Kadambariyamman.[20][21] The kadamba, which is considered theSthala Vriksha ("tree of the place") of the city that is otherwise known as Kadambavanam (kadamba forest) and is present inMeenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai.[20] A withered relic of the kadamba is also preserved there.[22]
InTheravada Buddhism, the kadamba tree was whereSumedha Buddha achieved enlightenment.[23]
Pelting each other with the flowers of the kadamba tree is shown as a sport for social diversions in theKama Sutra.[24]
It's associated with pleasant monsoon rains after summer, as in these verses fromRitusamharam byKalidasa:[25]
And the forest, its heat cooled
all over by showers of rain,
is as if filled with great delight:
thekadamba flowering everywhere,
and tree branches dancing in the breeze
as the ketaki laughs with its needle leaves.
Kadamba flowers stir deep longing in lovers parted by the monsoon, when travel becomes arduous and reunions seem distant:[25]
And the breeze rustling through
groves of sarja andkadamba,
of arjuna, nipa, ketaki trees,
carrying their flower scents
and also cooled by drizzling clouds:
whom does this not fill with longing?
The kadamba is also associated with Lord Krishna and the bhakti poetry which shows the separation between the lovers Krishna and Radha during rainy season.Biharilal writes:[26]
Now leave all hope of help, the rains have come:
to bear the fragrance ofkadamba flowers
is certainly no game.
Some believe this species is not the true kadamba referenced in Bhakti poetry, instead the kadamba of Stephegyne genus,Mitragyna parvifolia, which grows around Vrindavan, is.[27]
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