Pongamia pinnata

Family: FABACEAE/LEGUMINOSAE 

Malayalam Name(s): Minnari, Ungu, Ponnam, Pungu, Punnu, Pongam

English name(s): Hongay oil tree, Indian beech tree, Karanj, Pongam oil Tree

Habit: Tree

Flowering & Fruiting: April-December

Medicinal: Yes

Habitat: Deciduous and mangrove forests, also planted as avenue tree

Description: Evergreen trees, to18 m high, bark 10-12 mm thick, surface grey, smooth, speckled with brown; branchlets lenticellate. Leaves imparipinnate, alternate, leaflets 5-7, opposite, estipellate; petiolule 6-10 mm; slender, pubescent; leaflet 4.5-12 x 2-7 cm, elliptic-acuminate, elliptic-lanceolate, ovate or ovate-oblong, apex acuminate, margin entire, glabrous, chartaceous; stipules lateral, small, oblong, cauducous; rachis 10-15 cm long, slender, pulvinate, pubescent; lateral nerves 5-8 pairs, pinnate, ascending, slender, faint; intercostae reticulate, obscure. Flowers bisexual, purplish-white, 15-18 mm long, in lax axillary racemes, axis pubescent; bracts small, cauducous. Calyx tube campanulate; minutely 5 toothed, apex truncate; corolla exserted. Petals 5, clawed; standard suborbicular with curved folds above the claw; wings obliquely oblong, slightly adnate above the claws to the obtuse keel petals which are joined near the tip. Stamens 10, monadelphous, the vexillary stamen free below and above; anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile, inferior, 1-celled, ovules 2; style in curved, beardless; stigma capitate. Fruit a pod, 4-5 x 2-2.5 cm, obliquely oblong, flat, thick, pointed at both ends, indehiscent, slightly falcate; seed one, reniform.

മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കുവാൻ ഇവിടെ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യുക