Pterocarpus

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Pterocarpus
Pterocarpus indicus

Pterocarpus indicus

Systematics
Eurosiden I
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Tribe : Dalbergieae
Genre : Pterocarpus
Scientific name
Pterocarpus
Jacq.

Pterocarpus is a genus of the sub-family of the Papilionaceae (Faboideae) in the family of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae).

Some Pterocarpus species are also called sandalwood trees or wing fruit trees, but both common names are also used for species of other genera: sandalwood trees for species from the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), wing fruit trees for species of the wing fruit family (Dipterocarpaceae). Wing fruit is a term for winged diaspores (units of distribution) that are transported by the wind, see meteorochory .

description

Illustration from Francisco Manuel Blanco: Flora de Filipinas… by Pterocarpus indicus
Illustration of Pterocarpus santalinus with details including the fruit

Appearance and leaves

The Pterocarpus species grow as evergreen to deciduous trees , rarely shrubs . Red juice leaks from the inner area when injured. Many of the species often form powerful buttress roots . Many species have a red cinema in their wood and bark . They are therefore also referred to as Bloodwood in English .

The imparipinnate leaves are up to 50 centimeters long. The leaflets are alternate to almost opposite on the rhachis . There are stipules present.

Inflorescences and flowers

Terminal or lateral, racemose or panicle inflorescences are formed. The bracts are just small.

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five sepals are fused together to form a bell-shaped calyx, with different calyx teeth of which the upper two are more or less fused. The flower crowns have the typical structure of the butterfly flowers . The five petals are yellow to orange in color. The flag is broadly ovoid to almost round. The shuttle is shorter than the two wings. The two petals of the shuttle are at most not overgrown. Nine of the ten stamens are fused together or the ten stamens are in two groups. The single carpel has only a few ovules . The scar is small.

Fruits and seeds

The lignified, circular legumes ( wing fruits ) consist of a central area of ​​different thicknesses, usually containing only one, rarely up to three seeds, and a wide wing surrounding it; in some species the wing is a bit smaller. These legumes do not open on their own. The seed has a small hilum .

Buttress roots of Pterocarpus dalbergioides
Young fruits of Pterocarpus indicus
Foliage leaves and inflorescences of Pterocarpus macrocarpus
Inflorescences of Pterocarpus rotundifolius
Foliage leaves and bark of Pterocarpus santalinus

Occurrence

The genus , which comprises around 50 species, is pantropical , with over half occurring in Africa and Asia . Most species grow in the tropical rainforests; some species are also found in seasonal dry forests, swamps and savannas.

Systematics

The genus Pterocarpus was established by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin . The botanical genus name Pterocarpus means "winged fruit" and refers to the unusual shape of the legumes. A synonym for Pterocarpus Jacq. is Phellocarpus Benth.

The genus Pterocarpus belongs to the tribe Dalbergieae in the subfamily of the butterflies (Faboideae) within the family of the legumes (Fabaceae).

There are approximately 35 (25 to 50) species of Pterocarpus :

The following species are currently no longer assigned to this genus:

use

  • Wood

  • Muninga or African Padouk
    ( Pterocarpus angolensis )

  • Zitan or Manila Padouk, Narrabaum
    ( Pterocarpus indicus )

  • Dragon blood tree ( Pterocarpus officinalis )

Some Pterocarpus species are economically important timber. Their wood is mainly used for making musical instruments, veneer and furniture. Examples are the Zitan or Manila Padouk , Narrabaum ( Pterocarpus indicus ) and Burma Padouk ( Pterocarpus macrocarpus ) from Southeast Asia ; the African species Muninga or African Padouk ( Pterocarpus angolensis ) and African Padouk or Coral Wood ( Pterocarpus soyauxii ).

The bark ingredients ( flavonoids ) of Malabarkino ( Pterocarpus marsupium ) from South India were previously of pharmaceutical importance. The dragon blood tree, palo de sangre ( Pterocarpus officinalis ), which is native to Central America, is another type of cinema, a dragon blood resin , which is of medicinal importance due to its hemostatic effect. So- called African cinema was also made from Pterocarpus angolensis and Pterocarpus erinaceus .

swell

  • RK Brummitt, DK Harder, GP Lewis, JM Lock, RM Polhill, B. Verdcourt: Leguminosae. In: Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 3, Part 3, 2007: online.
  • Franz von Bruchhausen, Hermann Hager, Wolfgang Blaschek, G. Heubl, G. Abel, Eberhard Teuscher: Hager's handbook of pharmaceutical practice . 5th edition. Springer, 1998, ISBN 3-540-61619-5 , pp. 412-423 ( Pterocarpus on pp. 412-423 in Google Book Search).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Data sheet at International Legume Database Information Service = ILDIS - LegumeWeb - World Database of Legumes , Version 10.38 from July 20, 2010.
  2. ^ Pterocarpus in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
  3. ↑ M. Bergmann, H. Gnamm, W. Vogel: The tanning with vegetable tanning agents: Gerbmittel und Gerbverfahren. Volume 2, Springer, 1931, ISBN 978-3-7091-5982-8 , p. 84.

Web links

Commons : Pterocarpus  - collection of images, videos and audio files