BUTEA FRONDOSA
Family – Fabaceae
Scientific name – Butea frondosa
COMMON NAMES:
1 1) Also but less often called chichra, chalcha, kakri or palah.
2. 2) The Flame of the Forest.
3. 3) The battle of Plassey is said to have taken its name from this
tree (palasi).
4. 4) Is so named in honour of John, Earl of Bute, a botanical author
of the 18th century.
5. 5) frondosa in Latin means leafy.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
1. 1) A small or medium-sized deciduous tree with crooked stem and
large irregular branches.
2. 2) Bark fibrous, light brown or grey.
3. 3) Leaves consisting of 3 large leathery leaflets on a common stalk
4—9 inches long, conspicuously swollen at its base.
4. 4) Flowers 1.5—2 inches long, clustered along the branches, bright orange-red.
5. 5) Calyx 0.5 inch long, dark brown-velvety as are also the flower
stalks, Pods 4—8 inches long, 1—2 inches broad, the top end where the solitary
seed is situated and edges thickened, the rest thin, strongly nerved,
grey-silky, pale yellowish-grey when ripe.
6. 6) Leafless or nearly so when in flower from February to April.
7. 7) The flowers usually cover the upper portion of the tree and make
it a most conspicuous and gorgeous object at the beginning of the hot weather.
8. 8) The pods develop very rapidly and being green when young look
like foliage at a little distance.
9. 9) The ripe pods are very light and are scattered far and wide by
the strong winds of the hot weather.
USES OF THE BUTEA FRONDOSA:
1. 1) From wounds in the bark a gum known as Bengal kino exudes as
round tears as large as a pea and of an intense ruby colour.
2. 2) It is very astringent and is used medicinally.
3. 3) The flowers yield a bright yellow dye of little permanency.
4. 4) The seeds yield oil used as an anthelmintic.
5. 5) Lac is grown on the dhak which is one of the principal hosts of the lac insect.
6. 6) The bark yields a coarse fibre used for cordage.
7. 7) The leaves are used as fodder for buffaloes though curiously
goats do not like them.
8. 8) The leaves are also used as plates and for covering umbrellas.
9. 9) The timber is of little value and is not durable except under
water.
10) It is a very poor fuel.
PROPOGATION:
1. 1) By seed which should be removed from the pods and sown as soon
us ripe as it docs not keep well.
2. 2) Seedlings and also plants transplanted are apt to die back to
the ground either in the winter or in the hot weather.
3. 3) This process may be continued for 2 or 3 years till a shoot
strong enough to stand the unfavourable period of the year is produced.
4. 4) The growth of the dhak is rather slow and the tree is ornamental only when in flower or
new leaf.
HABITAT:
