Indian coral tree
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Indian coral tree ( Erythrina variegata ) |
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_feeding_on_Indian_Coral_Tree_(Erythrina_variegata)_in_Kolkata_I_IMG_4005.jpg)
The Indian coral tree ( Erythrina variegata ) is a species of the subfamily of the butterflies (Faboideae). It is a popular ornamental wood because of its beautiful flowers and is used in windbreak hedges because of its resistance to storms. Its home is the tropics and subtropics of the Old World , but it was introduced to the New World as an ornamental wood early on , where it went wild. In some areas of the American coast, the species was so common at the beginning of the 19th century that it was considered native by botanists (such as de Candolle ).
description
Vegetative characteristics
The Indian coral tree is a medium-sized tree with a straight trunk and a broad crown. It reaches heights of growth of 7 to 18, a maximum of 20 meters, and trunk diameters of 50 to 60 centimeters at chest height . Characteristic are small, dark spines on young trunks and branches, which usually fall off after 5 to 8 years. Another characteristic is the thin, smooth bark with greenish, yellowish or whitish longitudinal stripes . It forms vertical roots, often there are also large, horizontal roots on the surface.
Leaves and branches
The branches are gray and gnarled. Young shoots are covered with star hair. The deciduous tree loses its leaves at the beginning of winter and sprouts again in March and April. Young trees can be leafy all year round and the leaves can stay on the tree much longer even in warm and humid climates. The alternately arranged leaves are pinnate to three, 20 to 30 centimeters long and have thin, 10 to 15 centimeters long stems. The leaflets are short-stalked, with entire margins, broadly triangular, with a horizontal base and a short, pointed apex . The leaf base is provided with a point-shaped gland. In addition, two lanceolate, about 1 centimeter long stipules are formed, which are shed early.
Flowers and fruits
The short-stalked orange to coral-red flowers grow numerous in 15 cm long, pendulous, racemose inflorescences with 7.5 to 10 cm long stems. The zygomorphic butterfly flowers are 5 to 6.3 inches long, 2.5 to 3.8 inches wide, and odorless. They have a red, five-toothed, finely haired, 2.5 to 3 centimeter long calyx , a deep red to scarlet red crown (corolla) with a very large, curved flag and four 2 centimeter long petals that form wings and boats. The ten bright red stamens are 6 inches long, nine of which have grown together in the lower half. The pistil consists of a narrow, stalked and hairy ovary and a curved, red stylus . The flowers appear at the beginning of winter after the leaves are shed.
There are 15 to 30 centimeters long and 2.5 centimeters wide between the seeds narrowed pulses formed. They ripen in May and June (according to another source from March to April in the northern hemisphere and from October to November in the southern hemisphere ) and are then dark brown to black in color. They can stay on the tree for several months and contain six to ten elliptical to bean-shaped reddish-brown seeds 15 to 20 millimeters long and six to ten millimeters in diameter. Mostly the fruits fall to the ground and the seeds germinate near the mother plant. Flooded seeds can survive in sea water for months without losing their ability to germinate, which has contributed to its widespread distribution. In the first year, saplings reach a height of up to 3 meters.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 42 or 44.
Distribution and location requirements
The home of the Indian coral tree are the tropics and subtropics of the Old World . Its natural range extends from India , Burma , Indonesia , over the Philippines to China and west to Madagascar . Because of its high ornamental value, this tree species was introduced into many tropical and subtropical countries, including the New World , where it often went wild. This applies to South Florida , Los Angeles and Hawaii in the USA , North Australia and Polynesia and the interior of India.
Its natural occurrences are limited to coastal locations, where they occur naturally up to an altitude of 250 meters and can be planted up to an altitude of 1500 meters. The species prefers damp to semi-arid climates and bright locations. Shading reduces shoot and root growth, leaf area and growth rate. In the natural range, there is a monsoon -influenced climate, with rainfall in summer and dry winters. The annual rainfall varies between 800 and 1500 millimeters. The annual mean temperature is between 28 and 32 ° C, the mean temperature of the coldest month between 16 and 24 ° C and the hottest month between 28 and 35 ° C. The species can withstand temperatures down to freezing for a short time. Young trees can be damaged by frost, but usually sprout again. However, frost is a limiting factor in its spread. The Indian coral tree is resistant to fire, wind and storms and can withstand floods lasting up to two weeks. It grows best on deep, well-drained sandy loams and is adaptable in terms of soil properties. It tolerates sands to clays with pH values of 4.5 to 8 and also slightly salty soils.
ecology
In the coastal forests of India, the Indian coral tree belongs to the middle canopy layer and thrives there together with the linden-leaved marshmallow ( Hibiscus tiliaceus ), the portia tree ( Thespesia populnea ), Manilkara littoralis and Acanthus ilicifolius . The species also belongs to the middle canopy layer in the damp mixed deciduous forests of southern India and lives there together with the black rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia ), the padauk tree ( Pterocarpus marsupium ) and Adina cordifolia .
The pollination is done by bees and wasps , but also by different species of birds such as crows , parakeets or starlings , which are attracted by the abundance of nectar. Studies on the variety Erythrina variegata var. Orientalis show in India that birds are the most important pollinators, the songbirds fork-tailed drongo ( Dicrurus adsimilis ), Myna ( Acridotheres tristis ), jungle myna ( Acridotheres fuscus ), the Star Sturnus pagodarum , the house crow ( Corvus splendens ), the crow species Corvus macrochynchos and the long-tailed thrush ( Turdoides caudatus ). The trees are also used by other bird species such as ringed Parakeet ( Psittacula krameri ) and Orange Woodpecker ( Dinopium benghalense visited), but often damage flowers when nectar recording or tear. The jungle palm squirrel ( Funambulus tristriatus ) also eats the flowers and thus contributes - in smaller numbers - to fertilization.
The Indian coral tree binds nitrogen through symbiosis with nodule bacteria of the genus Rhizobium and thus has a soil-improving effect.
The insect pests include the beetle species Acanthophorus serraticornis , which occurs in Kerala and whose larvae pierce roots and stems. Beetles of the genus Rhaphipodus form further root pests . White rot is caused by the Porling Polyporus anebus . Another pest is the gall wasp Quadrichus erythrinae , which was first described in 2004 . It was first found in Singapore , Mauritius and Réunion , followed by observations in China, India, Thailand and the Philippines. In August 2005 the species was also sighted on Molokaʻi , one of the eight main islands of Hawaii, and a little later on Kahoʻolawe . In addition to the Indian coral tree, Erythrina crista-galli and Erythrina sandwicensis are also attacked. Quadrichus erythrinae lays their eggs on young, terminal leaves and shoots, which leads to the formation of galls in which the wasps develop. Heavy infestation can lead to the shedding of the leaves and the death of trees.
Systematics and Etymology
The genus is divided into several subgenus and sections, the Indian coral tree belongs to the monophyletic subgenus Erythraster Barnepy and Krukoff , section Erythraster . Sister species are Erythrina burtii , Erythrina velutina and Erythrina tahitensis .
There are several varieties and cultivars , including:
- Erythrina variegata var. Alba : variety with white flowers
- Erythrina variegata var. Orientalis : variety with clearly yellow or light green colored leaf veins
- Erythrina variegata var. Variegata : nominate form
- Erythrina variegata 'Tropical Coral': A cultivar used in Australia, New Caledonia , Hawaii and South Florida as a windbreak and ornamental tree, the leaves of which remain on the tree during the flowering period. It is narrower than the species and of a more columnar shape without a broad crown.
Synonyms of Erythrina variegata are
- Erythrina corallodendrum var. Orientalis L.
- Erythrina divaricata (Alph.) DC.
- Erythrina indica Lam.
- Erythrina orientalis (L.) Merrill
- Tedradapa javanorum Osbeck
The generic name Erythrina is derived from the Greek word "erythrinos", which means "coral red" (or redfish) and refers to the color of the flowers. The specific epithet variegata comes from Latin and means “colorful”, “marbled” or “shimmering”.
use
The Indian coral tree is popular and well-known as a colorful and shady ornamental wood, which has led to its widespread use by humans. In addition, it is often included in windbreak hedges due to its resistance to wind and storms, its rapid growth and the ability to regularly prune it.
At a distance of 8 to 10 meters, it provides shade in coffee, tea and cocoa plantations. After pruning, its leaves are also used for mulching in the plantation . In Bengal it is used to shade betel palms ( Areca catechu ), sometimes it also serves as a support for climbing cultivated plants, for example for the pepper bush ( Piper nigrum ), for the spice vanilla ( Vanilla planifolia ) or for the yams ( Dioscorea ).
The species is not subject to forest management, so there are no precise growth and yield data. After 20 to 25 years heights between 15 and 20 meters are reached, after 15 to 20 years trunk diameters of 50 to 60 centimeters. In the south of India more than 30 tons of aboveground biomass per hectare could be achieved with regular irrigation in the first year of life. This is about as much as with the rain tree ( Samanea saman ) but significantly less than with the white-headed mimosa ( Leucaena leucocephala ). The leaves of the Erythrina species are excellent fodder because of their high protein content of 16 to 18%. The trees are cut back three to four times a year and provide 15 to 50 kilograms of green fodder. The wood is used to make rafts, boxes, picture frames and toys. It is less suitable than construction or pulpwood. Because of the high water content and the strong smoke development it is not very popular as firewood.
Alcoholic extracts from the fruits inhibit the development of the rose louse ( Macrosiphum rosae ). Aqueous extracts of the leaves (5 grams of leaves in 15 milliliters of water) have a toxic effect on the nematode species Meloidogyne incognita and Tylenchorhynchus mashhoodi . After pre-treatment, the bark can be used to dye wool red as it contains the coloring ingredients erysotin, erysodin, hypaphoin and choline .
In East Asia, India and China the species is of great importance for folk medicine. Pressed leaf juices that are mixed with honey are said to stimulate milk production ( lactation ) and were administered as a remedy against tapeworms and roundworms . With the addition of castor oil , the juice was used against various types of dysentery . Laxatives, diuretics and expectorants can be made from the bark. The seeds contain alkaloids with curare- like effects. Pharmacological tests of the aqueous extracts show an antihypertensive effect in animal experiments. The ingredients have a contracting effect on the smooth muscles , but no effect could be determined on the skeletal muscles.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics p. 314
- ↑ a b c d Whistler et al .: Erythrina variegata (coral tree).
- ↑ a b c Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics, p. 315
- ↑ Erythrina variegata at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics, p. 316
- ↑ a b c d e Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics p. 317
- ↑ Current Science, Vol. 87, No. 6, 25 Sept. 2004 (pdf, accessed March 7, 2008; 138 kB)
- ↑ Ronald A. Heu, Dick M. Tsuda, Walter T. Nagamine, Juliana A. Yalemar, Troy H. Suh: Erythrina Gall Wasp. (pdf) In: New Pest Advisory. State of Hawaii, Department of Agriculture, February 2006, archived from the original on February 21, 2007 ; accessed on September 15, 2012 (English).
- ^ Anne Bruneau: Phylogenetic and Biogeographical Patterns in Erythrina (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae) as Inferred from Morphological and Chloroplast DNA Characters . Systematic Botany 21 (4): 587-605, 1996
- ↑ Description in floridata.com (English, accessed March 7, 2008)
- ^ Entry in Germplasm Resources Information Network (accessed March 7, 2008)
- ↑ Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 (reprint from 1996).
- ↑ a b c d Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics p. 317
- ↑ N. G. Hedge, K. della Rosa: Erythrina variegata: more than a pretty tree . NFT Highlights NFTA 94-02, 1994 (quoted from Schütt et al .: Trees of the Tropics )
- ↑ GK Chatterjee, TK Burman, Chaudhury AK Nag, SP Pal: Preliminary pharmacological screening of Erythrina variegata Var. Orientails (syn. E. indica) seed. In: Indian Journal of Pharmacology , 1981; 13: 153-158.
literature
Much of the information in this article has been obtained from the following sources:
- Schütt, Weisgerber, Schuck, Lang, Stimm, Roloff: Trees of the tropics. 2006, ISBN 3-933203-79-1
- W.A. Whistler, C.R. Elevitch: Erythrina variegata (coral tree). April 2006, description in Agroforestry (pdf, English, accessed on March 4, 2008; 1.1 MB)
Web links
- Erythrina variegata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Groom, A., 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
