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INTRODUCTION TO COPPER POD TREE

INTRODUCTION TO COPPER POD TREE

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 COPPER POD

Family - Leguminosae

Scientific name - Peltophorum ferrugineum or roxburghii

COMMON NAMES –

   1) Its other English name is Rusty Shield Bearer.

   2) It is called lya Vakai in Tamil.

   3) Kon-dachinta in Telugu.

GROWING AREAS –   

   1) Originally from Sri Lanka and islands near the coast of Malaysia and North Australia, this tree is now planted in many tropical countries.

   2) It was planted in east India about 150 years ago, but only came to the west coast recently.

GENERAL INFORMATION –

   1) It is a fairly fast-growing.

   2) It is tall tree with a straight trunk and smooth grey bark.

   3) It is a strong tree and can live in most conditions without difficulty.

                                  Copper pod tree

   4) From the trunk many branches rise and spread giving a great deal of shade.

   5) It is semi-deciduous (loses many of its leaves in winter) but sometimes loses all its leaves for a few weeks before the new ones appear.

LEAVES OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) The large leaves are made up of small smooth leathery leaflets (smaller leaves).

   2) These have delicate fur on the underside.

                                        Leaves of the Copper pod tree

   3) When they fall in the cold season they make the tree look ragged and bare.

   4) The new bright green leaves appear in early spring and darken in a matter of weeks.

FLOWERS OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) The main flowering seasons are from the end of February to April and then from September to December.

   2) Some trees have a few flowers for most of the year.

   3) First, rust-red shoots appear covered with soft hair and buds of the same colour.

                                         Flowers of the Copper pod tree

   4) These open to show bright yellow five-petalled, slightly scented flowers with wavy edges.

   5) They only last for a short time and the falling flowers leave a carpet underneath the tree.

   6) The tree has the strange habit of flowering in sections.

   7) One half of the tree will flower one week and the other the next. The name Rusty Shield Bearer has probably been given to this tree because of the shape and colour of the seed-cases which look like shields.

FRUIT OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

                                      Fruits of the Copper pod tree

   1) The rust-red seed-case remains on the tree for many months, arid later turns black.

USES OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) It makes a good home for the lac insect.

   2) The wood of this tree is light and does not last long but is used for making furniture.

   3) It is a popular tree in cities as it is very beautiful and suitable for planting at the sides of roads.

   4) It is also used to provide shade for cocoa and coffee crops.

   5) The trees protect the growing plants from harsh sunlight, rain and wind.