Pterocarpus macrocarpus

Burma padauk
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Pterocarpus
Species:
P. macrocarpus
Binomial name
Pterocarpus macrocarpus
Synonyms[3][2]
List
  • Lingoum macrocarpum (Kurz) Kuntze
  • Lingoum cambodianum Pierre
  • Lingoum glaucinum Pierre
  • Lingoum gracile Pierre
  • Lingoum oblongum Pierre
  • Lingoum parvifolium Pierre
  • Lingoum pedatum Pierre
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus (Pierre) Dyer
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus var. calcicola Craib
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus var. glaucinus (Pierre) Gagnep.
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus var. gracilis (Pierre) Gagnep.
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus var. oblongus (Pierre) Gagnep.
  • Pterocarpus cambodianus var. parvifolius (Pierre) Gagnep.
  • Pterocarpus glaucinus (Pierre) Dyer
  • Pterocarpus gracilis (Pierre) Dyer
  • Pterocarpus gracilis var. brevipes Craib
  • Pterocarpus gracilis var. nitidus Craib
  • Pterocarpus macrocarpus var. oblongus (Pierre) Gagnep.
  • Pterocarpus oblongus (Pierre) Dyer
  • Pterocarpus parvifolius (Pierre) Dyer
  • Pterocarpus pedatus (Pierre) Dyer

Pterocarpus macrocarpus, or Burma padauk,[4] is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae.[3][5] It is native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.[2][6][7] It has been naturalized in India and the Caribbean.[6]

Description

Pterocarpus macrocarpus is a medium-sized tree growing to 10–30 m (rarely to 39 m) tall, with a trunk up to 1.7 m diameter; it is deciduous in the dry season. The bark is flaky, grey-brown; if cut, it secretes a red gum. The leaves are 200–350 mm long, pinnate, with 9–11 leaflets. The flowers are yellow, produced in racemes 50–90 mm long. The fruit is a pod surrounded by a round wing 45–70 mm diameter, containing two or three seeds.[6][7]

The wood is durable and resistant to termites; it is important, used for furniture, construction timber, cart wheels, tool handles, and posts;[7] though not a true rosewood it is sometimes traded as such. The seasonal padauk flowers bloom annually around Thingyan (April) and is considered one of the national symbols[8] of Myanmar (formerly Burma).

  • Padauk flowers during Thingyan
    Padauk flowers during Thingyan
  • Padauk seeds
    Padauk seeds
  • Displayed Padauk wood
    Displayed Padauk wood

References

  1. ^ Barstow, M. (2019). "Pterocarpus macrocarpus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T32308A2813424. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T32308A2813424.en. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Pterocarpus macrocarpus". International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS). Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Pterocarpus macrocarpus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Pterocarpus macrocarpus" (PDF). Danida Forest Seed Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b c "Pterocarpus macrocarpus". International Institute of Tropical Forestry. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  8. ^ Australia, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Parks. "Floral Emblems of the world - Australian Plant Information". www.anbg.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-04-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.