Butea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Butea
Butea monosperma flowers in India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Phaseoleae
Genus: Butea
Roxb. ex Willd. (1802), nom. cons.
Type species
Butea monosperma
Species[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Megalotropis Griff. (1854)
  • Meizotropis Voigt (1845)
  • Plaso Adans. (1763)
Butea monosperma seed pods

Butea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the pea family, Fabaceae. It includes five species native to the Indian Subcontinent, Indochina, Tibet, and southern China.[1] It is sometimes considered to have only two species, B. monosperma and B. superba,[2] or is expanded to include four or five.[3]

Butea monosperma is used for timber, resin, fodder, herbal medicine, and dyeing.

Butea[clarification needed] is also a host to the lac insect, which produces natural lacquer.[4]

Taxonomy[edit]

Butea is named after John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792), member of parliament, prime minister for one year, and a patron of botany.[5] William Roxburgh erected the genus Butea in 1795, but it became a nomen invalidum. Carl Willdenow validated the name Butea in 1802.

Uses[edit]

Butea monosperma, called kiṃśukha in Sanskrit, is used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat various symptoms.[6]

Species[edit]

Forty-two names have been published in Butea,[7] but forty of these are either synonyms or names of species that have been transferred to other genera.[4] Five species are currently accepted.[1]

  • Butea buteiformis (Voigt) Grierson (syn. Megalotropis buteiformis, Meizotropis buteiformis) – Himalayas, India, Myanmar, and northern Thailand
  • Butea monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze (syn. Butea frondosa, Erythrina monosperma) – flame-of-the-forest, bastard teak, pâlāsh – Indian subcontinent, Indochina, and southern China
  • Butea pellita Hook.f. ex Prain – west-central and central Himalayas
  • Butea superba Roxb. ex Willd. (syn. Plaso superba, Rudolphia superba) – India, Bangladesh, and Indochina
  • Butea xizangensis X.Y.Zhu & Y.F.Du – Tibet

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Butea Roxb. ex Willd. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ Gwilym Lewis, Brian Schrire, Barbara MacKinder, and Mike Lock. 2005. Legumes of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Richmond, England.
  3. ^ Dezhao Chen; Dianxiang Zhang & Mats Thulin. "Butea". Flora of China Online. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b Munivenkatappa Sanjappa. 1987. "Revision of the genera Butea Roxb. ex Willd. and Meizotropis Voigt (Fabaceae)". Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 29:199-225.
  5. ^ Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC; USA. London, UK. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2
  6. ^ Soman, I.; Mengi, S. A.; Kasture, S. B. (September 2004). "Effect of leaves of Butea frondosa on stress, anxiety, and cognition in rats". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 79 (1): 11–16. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2004.05.022. ISSN 0091-3057. PMID 15388278.
  7. ^ Butea At: IPNI

External links[edit]