| Pterocarpus indicus | |
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| Foliage and flowers ofPterocarpus indicus inKinmen,Fuchien Province, Republic of China | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Pterocarpus |
| Species: | P. indicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterocarpus indicus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
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Pterocarpus indicus (commonly known asAmboyna wood,Malay padauk,Papua New Guinea rosewood,Philippine mahogany,Andaman redwood,Burmese rosewood,narra[3] (fromTagalog[4]) andasana in the Philippines,angsana, orPashu padauk) is a species ofPterocarpus in the familyFabaceae native to southeastern Asia, northernAustralasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China,East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia,[5] Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, theRyukyu Islands, theSolomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.[6]
Pterocarpus indicus was one of two species (the other beingEysenhardtia polystachya) used as a source for the 16th- to 18th-century traditionaldiuretic known aslignum nephriticum.[7]
Many populations ofPterocarpus indicus are seriously threatened. It isextinct in Vietnam and possibly in Sri Lanka and Peninsular Malaysia.[1] It was declared the national tree of the Philippines in 1934 byGovernor-GeneralFrank Murphy of theInsular Government of the Philippine Islands through Proclamation No. 652.[8]
It is a largedeciduous tree growing to 30–40 m tall, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter, and the crown is 12–34 m wide. Theleaves are 12–22 cm long, pinnate, with 5–11 leaflets. MostPterocarpus species prefer seasonal weather butP. indicus preferrainforests.
Theflowers are produced inpanicles 6–13 cm long containing a few to numerous flowers; flowering is from February to May in the Philippines, Borneo and the Malay peninsula. They are slightly fragrant and have yellow or orange-yellow petals. Thefruit is a semiorbicularpod 2–3 cm diameter, surrounded by a flat 4–6 cm diameter membranaceous wing (wing-like structure) which aids dispersal by the wind. It contains one or twoseeds, and does not split open at maturity; it ripens within 4–6 years, and becomes purple when dry. The central part of the pod can be smooth (f.indica), bristly (f.echinatus (Pers.) Rojo) or intermediate.[9][10]
Note:Pterocarpus macrocarpus, a similar species native toBurma, is referred to as "Rosewood" throughout southeast Asia.P. macrocarpus is usually harder thanP. indicus. When in burl form, both are referred to as "Amboyna burl".
The hardwood, which is purplish, istermite-resistant and rose-scented. The wood known in Indonesia asamboyna is theburl of the tree, named afterAmbon, where much of this material was originally found. Often amboyna is finely sliced to produce an extremely decorative veneer, used for decoration and in making of furniture and keys on amarimba.
It is a premium timber species suitable for high grade furniture, timber and plywood for light construction purposes. It is also used for cartwheels, wood carving and musical instruments.[11]
The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos. Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.[by whom?] The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper. It is also a source of kino orresin.[10]
The leaves of narra are also used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of health problems. Narra leaves contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic benefits. Flavonoids in narra leaves may be capable of preventing damage to your kidneys.[12]
In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumours.[10] This property might be due to an acidicpolypeptide found in its leaves that inhibited growth ofEhrlich ascites carcinoma cells by disruption of cell and nuclear membranes.[citation needed] It was also one of the sources oflignum nephriticum, adiuretic inEurope during the 16th to 18th centuries. Its reputation is due to its wood infusions, which arefluorescent.[7]
The tree is recommended as anornamental tree foravenues and is sometimes planted inPuerto Rico as a shade and ornament. The tall, dome-shaped crown, with long, drooping branches is very attractive and the flowers are spectacular in areas with a dry season. It is very easily propagated from seed or large stem cuttings, but suffers from disease problems. It is widely planted as a roadside, park, andcar park tree.
In agroforestry, it maintains ecosystem fertility and soil stability. It is a leguminous plant that is capable of fixing nitrogen by forming endosymbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that lives in its root nodules. Nodulating leguminous plants, such as this, are able to transform atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.
In the Philippines, a permit is required to cut the Narra tree (cf.Tagalog andCebuanoNára,MaranaoNara),[13] but nevertheless the popular sturdy wood is widely used for construction and furniture projects.[14]
In Singapore, the ease to propagate the tree made it a favourite for the urban planners to plant new trees via monoculture in a campaign to transform the rapidly growing city into a "green" city between 1969 and 1982.[15][16] In 1985, 1,400 trees died due to "Angsana Wilt Disease", and were cut down.[16] It was found that the fungal speciesFusarium oxysporum was the cause of the disease.[16] The fungus was carried by wood-boringambrosia beetles boring into the trees.[17] The infection was eventually controlled by a combination of monitoring, removal of lightning-damaged trees, and replanting with identified disease-resistant varieties.[18]
It is thenational tree of the Philippines,[8] as well as the provincial tree ofChonburi andPhuket Provinces in Thailand.
Media related toPterocarpus indicus at Wikimedia Commons
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