Herbarium JCB

Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taubert

Family : FABACEAE
(PEA OR BEAN FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Leguminosae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Species : Butea monosperma
Basionym : Erythrina monosperma Lam.
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub.
Common name : Flame of the Forest
Vernacular name : Dhak, Palasa (Hin.); Palasha, Mutthugada mara (Kan.); Purasu, Porasu (Tam.); Moduga (Tel.); Palasa (Ori.); Palasha (San.)
Collection Nos : FAP 40019
Collector(s) Name : K.R.K.Swamy
Collection Locality : Kalasamudram, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh State
Habitat : Deciduous forest
Key identification features : A moderate-sized native tree which is highly ornamental when in bloom. Bark grey-brown, flaky. Leaves are pinnately 3-foliate with large leaflets. The flowers are bright-red or orange-red in colour and 3-3.5 cm long. Pod is a broad, oblong follicle. Leafless during Flowering.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : February-July
Native : Indian sub-continent
Comments : Occasional on open deciduous forests up to 1000 m. The flowers are attractive and a good source of nectar for pollinators. The tree is a host to the lac insect which secretes a resinous substance that yields shellac or lac.
Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
World Distribution : Tropical Himalaya, India, Sri Lanka, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Indo-China, South-East Asia, Malesia
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; 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; 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=Butea monosperma. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.