Barringtonia racemosa

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Ericales

Familia: Lecythidaceae
Subfamilia: Barringtonioideae
Genus: Barringtonia
Species: Barringtonia racemosa
Name

Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng.
References

Syst. veg. 3:127. 1826
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Barringtonia racemosa in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: Powder-puff Tree

Barringtonia racemosa (powder-puff tree, Afrikaans: pooeierkwasboom, Zulu: Iboqo,[3] Malay: Putat) is a tree in the family Lecythidaceae. It is found in coastal swamp forests and on the edges of estuaries in the Indian Ocean, starting at the east coast of Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, Laos, southern China, northern Australia, coastal Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and many Polynesian islands.[4]

The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia’ records that the Indigenous people of the Mitchell River District called this plant "Yakooro" and that "The root of this tree has a bitter taste, and is used by Hindoo [sic.] practitioners on account of its aperient and cooling qualities. The seeds and bark are also used in native medicine; the latter is of a reddish colour, and is said to possess properties allied to the Cinchonas. The pulverised fruit is used as snuff, and, combined with other remedies, is applied externally in diseases of the skin. (Treasury of Botany)."[5]

The Powder-puff tree is a protected tree in South Africa.[3]

Gallery

Flowers and foliage

New leaves

Fruit

Young leaves

Roots in stream bank

Inflorescence

Leaves in winter

Plant in winter

See also

List of Southern African indigenous trees

References

IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2020). "Barringtonia racemosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T160298203A160301831. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T160298203A160301831.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
"Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng. — the Plant List".
"Protected Trees" (PDF). Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Republic of South Africa. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-05.
"Australian plant common name database". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2007-08-19.

J. H. Maiden (1889). The useful native plants of Australia : Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney.

Notes

Pooley, E. (1993). The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. ISBN 0-620-17697-0..