Herbarium JCB

Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre

Family : FABACEAE
(PEA OR BEAN FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Leguminosae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Species : Pongamia pinnata
Synonym : Pongamia glabra Vent.; Derris indica (Lam.) Benn.; Galedupa indica Lam.
Basionym : Cytisus pinnatus L.
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre
Common name : Indian Elm, Pongam Oil Tree, Indian Beech Tree
Vernacular name : Kanji, Karanj (Hin.); Hongemara (Kan.); Pungam (Tam.); Gaanuga, Kanuga, Pungu (Tel.); Karanjo (Ori.); Karanja (San.)
Key identification features : A medium-sized deciduous tree. Leaves are imparipinnate with 2-3 pairs of broad leaflets, often seen with two kinds of galls: on leaves and on inflorescences. Flowers are in short clusters, pea-like and whitish-pink. Fruit is a flattened, oval, woody pod that dehisces at the both ends. Bark is smoke-grey and smooth.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : February-October
Native : South-East Asia
Comments : Occasional in plains to 1000 m mostly by banks of rivers and in ravines. Often planted. Seeds are a good source of Biofuel.
Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
World Distribution : India, Himalaya, Sri lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Northern Australia, Polynesia, Mascarene Islands, Micronesia; Introduced in New World
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. ; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Pongamia pinnata. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.