Pterocarpus indicus

{{Short description|Species of legume}} {{Redirects here|Angsana|the Thai typeface created by Unity Progress|Angsana (typeface)|hotel brand|Banyan Group}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Speciesbox | image = 印度紫檀 Pterocarpus indicus 20200807191221 09.jpg | image_caption = Foliage and flowers of ''Pterocarpus indicus'' in Kinmen, Fuchien Province, Republic of China | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="IUCN2021">{{cite iucn |author=Barstow, M. |date=2018 |title=''Pterocarpus indicus'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T33241A2835450 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T33241A2835450.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Pterocarpus | species = indicus | authority = Willd. | synonyms = {{Collapsible list | {{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; | *''Echinodiscus echinatus'' Miq. *''Lingoum echinatum'' (Pers.) Kuntze *''Lingoum indicum'' (Willd.) Kuntze *''Lingoum rubrum'' Rumph. *''Lingoum saxatile'' Rumph. *''Lingoum wallichii'' Pierre *''Pterocarpus blancoi'' Merr. *''Pterocarpus carolinensis'' Kaneh. *''Pterocarpus echinata'' Pers. *''Pterocarpus indica'' Willd. [Spelling variant] *''Pterocarpus klemmei'' Merr. *''Pterocarpus obtusatus'' Miq. *''Pterocarpus pallidus'' Blanco *''Pterocarpus papuana'' F. Muell. *''Pterocarpus papuanus'' F.Muell. *''Pterocarpus pubescens'' Merr. *''Pterocarpus vidalianus'' Rolfe *''Pterocarpus wallichii'' Wight & Arn. *''Pterocarpus zollingeri'' Miq. }} }} | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000172738 |title=''Pterocarpus indicus'' Willd. |date=2023 |website=The World Flora Online |publisher= World Flora Consortium |access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref> }}

'''''Pterocarpus indicus''''' (commonly known as '''Amboyna wood''', '''Malay padauk''', '''Papua New Guinea rosewood''', '''Philippine mahogany''', '''Andaman redwood''', '''Burmese rosewood''', '''narra'''<ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | ''Pterocarpus indicus'' | 30286 | access-date = 6 July 2017}}</ref> (from Tagalog<ref name="D">{{cite book |last1=Merrill |first1=Elmer Drew |author-link=Elmer Drew Merrill |date=1903 |title=A dictionary of the plant names of the Philippine Islands |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/agj6434.0001.001/181 |page=179 |publisher=Bureau of Public Printing, Department of The Interior |location= Manila |via=University of Michigan Digital Collections }}</ref>) and '''asana''' in the Philippines, '''angsana''', or '''Pashu padauk''') is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' in the family Fabaceae native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gardner |first1=Simon |last2=Sidisunthorn |first2=Pindar |last3=Ee |first3=Lai |year=2011 |title=Heritage Trees of Penang |location=George Town, Penang, Malaysia |publisher=Areca Books |ISBN=978-967-57190-6-6}} {{page needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.<ref name="ildis">{{cite web |url= http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb?version~10.01&LegumeWeb&tno~1170&genus~Pterocarpus&species~indicus |title=''Pterocarpus indicus'' |website=International Legume Database & Information Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608080311/http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb?version~10.01&LegumeWeb&tno~1170&genus~Pterocarpus&species~indicus |archive-date=8 June 2011 }}</ref>

''Pterocarpus indicus'' was one of two species (the other being ''Eysenhardtia polystachya'') used as a source for the 16th- to 18th-century traditional diuretic known as ''lignum nephriticum''.<ref name="lignum">{{Cite journal | last1 = Muyskens | first1 = M. | doi = 10.1021/ed083p765 | last2 = Ed Vitz | title = The Fluorescence of ''Lignum nephriticum'': A Flash Back to the Past and a Simple Demonstration of Natural Substance Fluorescence | journal = Journal of Chemical Education | volume = 83 | issue = 5 | page = 765 | year = 2006 | bibcode = 2006JChEd..83..765M }}</ref>

Many populations of ''Pterocarpus indicus'' are seriously threatened. It is extinct in Vietnam and possibly in Sri Lanka and Peninsular Malaysia.<ref name="IUCN2021" /> It was declared the national tree of the Philippines in 1934 by Governor-General Frank Murphy of the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands through Proclamation No. 652.<ref name="NCCA">{{cite web | last=Pangilinan | first=Leon Jr. | title = In Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols | url = http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | date = 3 October 2014 | access-date = 8 January 2019 | publisher = National Commission for Culture and the Arts | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161126154959/http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | archive-date = 26 November 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

== Description == thumb|230px|left|A mature specimen in Hong Kong It is a large deciduous tree growing to 30–40 m tall, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter, and the crown is 12–34 m wide. The leaves are 12–22 cm long, pinnate, with 5–11 leaflets. Most ''Pterocarpus'' species prefer seasonal weather but ''P. indicus'' prefer rainforests.

The flowers are produced in panicles 6–13 cm long containing a few to numerous flowers; flowering is from February to May in the Philippines, Borneo and the Malay peninsula. They are slightly fragrant and have yellow or orange-yellow petals. The fruit is a semiorbicular pod 2–3 cm diameter, surrounded by a flat 4–6 cm diameter membranaceous wing (wing-like structure) which aids dispersal by the wind. It contains one or two seeds, and does not split open at maturity; it ripens within 4–6 years, and becomes purple when dry. The central part of the pod can be smooth (f. ''indica''), bristly (f. ''echinatus'' (Pers.) Rojo) or intermediate.<ref name="danida">Danida Seed Leaflet: [http://www.sl.kvl.dk/upload/pterocarpus_indicus_int.pdf ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (pdf file)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409132955/http://www.sl.kvl.dk/upload/pterocarpus_indicus_int.pdf |date=9 April 2008 }}</ref><ref name="purdue">Purdue University New Crops: [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Pterocarpus_indicus.html ''Pterocarpus indicus''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205105111/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Pterocarpus_indicus.html |date=5 February 2007 }}</ref>

Note: ''Pterocarpus macrocarpus'', a similar species native to Burma, is referred to as "Rosewood" throughout southeast Asia. ''P. macrocarpus'' is usually harder than ''P. indicus''. When in burl form, both are referred to as "Amboyna burl".

==Uses== The hardwood, which is purplish, is termite-resistant and rose-scented. The wood known in Indonesia as ''amboyna'' is the burl of the tree, named after Ambon, where much of this material was originally found. Often amboyna is finely sliced to produce an extremely decorative veneer, used for decoration and in making of furniture and keys on a marimba.

It is a premium timber species suitable for high grade furniture, timber and plywood for light construction purposes. It is also used for cartwheels, wood carving and musical instruments.<ref>Carandang, 2004{{Incomplete short citation|date=June 2024}}</ref>

The flower is used as a honey source while leaf infusions are used as shampoos. Both flowers and leaves were said to be eaten.{{by whom?|date=July 2025}} The leaves are supposedly good for waxing and polishing brass and copper. It is also a source of kino or resin.<ref name="purdue" />

The leaves of narra are also used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of health problems. Narra leaves contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic benefits. Flavonoids in narra leaves may be capable of preventing damage to your kidneys.<ref>Saputri et.al., 2007{{Incomplete short citation|date=June 2024}}</ref>

In folk medicine, it is used to combat tumours.<ref name="purdue" /> This property might be due to an acidic polypeptide found in its leaves that inhibited growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by disruption of cell and nuclear membranes.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} It was also one of the sources of ''lignum nephriticum'', a diuretic in Europe during the 16th to 18th centuries. Its reputation is due to its wood infusions, which are fluorescent.<ref name="lignum" />

The tree is recommended as an ornamental tree for avenues and is sometimes planted in Puerto Rico as a shade and ornament. The tall, dome-shaped crown, with long, drooping branches is very attractive and the flowers are spectacular in areas with a dry season. It is very easily propagated from seed or large stem cuttings, but suffers from disease problems. It is widely planted as a roadside, park, and car park tree.

In agroforestry, it maintains ecosystem fertility and soil stability. It is a leguminous plant that is capable of fixing nitrogen by forming endosymbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that lives in its root nodules. Nodulating leguminous plants, such as this, are able to transform atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.

In the Philippines, a permit is required to cut the Narra tree (cf. Tagalog and Cebuano ''Nára'', Maranao ''Nara''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://acd.clld.org/cognatesets/27178#4/6.30/121.41|title=*nara a tree: ''Pterocarpus indica''|last1=Blust|first1=Robert|last2=Trussel|first2=Stephen|website=Austronesian Comparative Dictionary|date=2010|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology|access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> but nevertheless the popular sturdy wood is widely used for construction and furniture projects.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ |title = 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols |last=Pangilinan |first=Leon Jr. |date= 3 October 2014 |website=In Focus |publisher=National Commission for Culture and the Arts |access-date = 20 January 2016 |language = en-US |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161126154959/http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/|archive-date = 26 November 2016 |url-status = live}}</ref>

In Singapore, the ease to propagate the tree made it a favourite for the urban planners to plant new trees via monoculture in a campaign to transform the rapidly growing city into a "green" city between 1969 and 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SOTA's Angsana tree to be removed due to decay |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/sotas-angsana-tree-be-removed-due-decay |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=Today |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Straits Times 1992-12-22">{{Cite news |last=Yeo |first=Hwee Yng |date=22 December 1992 |title=New treatment found for diseased Angsana trees |page=25 |work=The Straits Times |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19921222-1.2.34.11 |access-date=1 February 2023}}</ref> In 1985, 1,400 trees died due to "Angsana Wilt Disease", and were cut down.<ref name="Straits Times 1992-12-22" /> It was found that the fungal species ''Fusarium oxysporum'' was the cause of the disease.<ref name="Straits Times 1992-12-22" /> The fungus was carried by wood-boring ambrosia beetles boring into the trees.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg/research/publications/gardens-bulletin-singapore/-/media/sbg/gardens-bulletin/4-4-48-1-2-04-y1996-v48-p1-p2-gbs-pg-89.pdf |title=A Fusarium Wilt (''Fusariurn oxysporum'') of Angsana (''Pterocarpus indicus'') in Singapore. |last1=Sanderson |first1=F. R. |last2=Fong |first2=Yok King |date=1996 |last3=Saiful Anuar |last4=Yik |first4=Choi Pheng |last5=Ong |first5=Keng Ho}}</ref> The infection was eventually controlled by a combination of monitoring, removal of lightning-damaged trees, and replanting with identified disease-resistant varieties.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Mystery Plague That Killed Singapore's Angsanas {{!}} Secret Lives Of Trees (Part 1/2) {{!}} Full Episode |date=12 January 2023 |via=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZPK1EfTxKg |type=documentary |publisher=CNA |language=en |access-date=2023-02-01}}</ref>

==Symbolism== It is the national tree of the Philippines,<ref name="NCCA" /> as well as the provincial tree of Chonburi and Phuket Provinces in Thailand.

<gallery> Pterocarpus indicus, Burmese rose wood tree in the Penang Botanic Garden.jpg|''Pterocarpus indicus'', Burmese rose wood tree in the Penang Botanic Garden Puno ng Narra sa Calauit, Busuanga.jpg|''Pterocarpus indicus'' in Calauit Island Bark of Pterocarpus indicus.jpg|Bark of ''Pterocarpus indicus'' in Kowloon, Hong Kong </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Pterocarpus-narra.pdf ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (narra)]. Images and references – (2006) 17p *PIER species info: [http://www.hear.org/Pier/species/pterocarpus_indicus.htm ''Pterocarpus indicus'']

indicus Category:Trees of China Category:Flora of Eastern Asia Category:Flora of tropical Asia Category:Flora of the Pacific Category:National symbols of the Philippines