Herbarium JCB

Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.

Family : FABACEAE
(PEA OR BEAN FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Leguminosae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Species : Pterocarpus marsupium
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.
Common name : Indian Kino Tree, Malabara Kino Tree, Almug, Saunderswood
Vernacular name : Bija, Piasal, Bijsaal, Vijaysaar (Hin.); Raktha honne mara, Benga mara, Volle honne (Kan.); Vaengai (Tam.); Yegisa, Peddagi, Yerra Yegisa, Yerra Chandanam (Tel.); Bija, Piasal (Ori.); Asana, Bijaka, Murga (San.)
Key identification features : A large deciduous native tree with often straight trunk. Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound with leathery and entire leaflets. Flowers are 1.5-2 cm long, in terminal, highly branched inflorescence. Fruit is winged, one-seeded indehiscent pod. Bark is grey, cracky and exudes blood-red resin when cut.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : March-July; August-October
Native : India, Sri Lanka
Comments : Occasional on hill slopes of deciduous forests up to 1400 m and even in dry to fully exposed habitats. Also in stream forests. Bark when cut open yeilds a resinous red exudate, which dries into solid blocks.
Conservation Status : Vulnerable (VU)
Distribution Locality : Bellary district (Karnataka State); Pacchamalai Hills (Tiruchirapalli district), Shevaroy Hills (Salem district) (Tamil Nadu State); Srikakulam district, Visakhapatnam district, East Godavari district, West Godavari district, Prakasham district, Kurnool district, Nellore district, Kadapa district, Anantapur district, Chittoor district (Andhra Pradesh State); Ganjam district, Samabalpur district (Odisha State)
World Distribution : India, Sri Lanka
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; R.Seshagiri Rao et al- Flora of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, 1986 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; 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.; Naidu, M.T, O.A. Kumar & M. Venkaiah (2015). Vascular plant diversity in the sacred grove of Modapalli in Viskhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(10): 7683-7690
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=Pterocarpus marsupium. Downloaded on 6 July 2025.