Butea

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Faboideae
Tribus: Phaseoleae
Subtribus: Erythrininae
Genus: Butea
Species: B. monosperma – B. superba
Name

Butea Roxb. ex Willd., Sp. Pl. 3: 917. 1802, nom. cons.
Type species: Butea frondosa Roxb. ex Willd., nom. illeg.

Synonyms

Homotypic
Butea J.König ex Roxb., Asiat. Res. 3: 469. 1792, nom. inval.
Butea J.König ex Roxb., Pl. Coromandel 1: 22. 1795, nom. inval.
Plaso Adans., Fam. 2: 325, 592. 1763, nom. rej.

References

Willdenow, C.L.v. 1802. Sp. Pl. 3: 917.

Vernacular names
தமிழ்: முருக்கன்

Butea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the pea family, Fabaceae. It is sometimes considered to have only two species, B. monosperma and B. superba,[1] or is expanded to include four or five species.[2]

Butea monosperma is used for timber, resin, fodder, herbal medicine, and dyeing.

Butea is also a host to the lac insect, which produces natural lacquer.[3]

Taxonomy

Butea is named after John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792), member of parliament, prime minister for one year, and a patron of botany.[4] William Roxburgh erected the genus Butea in 1795, but it became a nomen invalidum. Carl Willdenow validated the name Butea in 1802.
Uses

Butea monosperma, called kiṃśukha in Sanskrit, is used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat various symptoms.[5]
Species

Forty-two names have been published in Butea,[6] but forty of these are either synonyms or names of species that have been transferred to other genera.[3]

B. braamiana
B. buteiformis (Megalotropis buteiformis, Meizotropis buteiformis)
B. monosperma (syn. Butea frondosa, Erythrina monosperma): flame-of-the-forest, bastard teak, pâlāsh
B. superba (Plaso superba, Rudolphia superba)

References

Gwilym Lewis, Brian Schrire, Barbara MacKinder, and Mike Lock. 2005. Legumes of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Richmond, England.
Dezhao Chen; Dianxiang Zhang & Mats Thulin. "Butea". Flora of China Online. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
Munivenkatappa Sanjappa. 1987. "Revision of the genera Butea Roxb. ex Willd. and Meizotropis Voigt (Fabaceae)". Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 29:199-225.
Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC; USA. London, UK. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2
Soman, I.; Mengi, S. A.; Kasture, S. B. (September 2004). "Effect of leaves of Butea frondosa on stress, anxiety, and cognition in rats". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 79 (1): 11–16. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2004.05.022. ISSN 0091-3057. PMID 15388278.
Butea At: IPNI