On a balmy spring evening as you walk down a village lane or take a leisurely stroll in the nearby park, a vivid splash of red may hold you spellbound. The Indian Coral tree, when it flowers in spring, is an arresting sight indeed with its dense clusters of deep red flowers which give the tree its name.
Although the coral tree is commonly known as Pangara, its botanical name Erythrina Variegata or indica is derived from the Greek word 'eruthros,' meaning red, in allusion to the colour of the flowers. Indeed it is one of India's own trees growing wild along the coastal forests of India, Burma, the Andamans, Nicobar, Java, Polynesia and in the deciduous forests of the hinterland.
The Indian Coral Tree (family leguminosae) is known by various names. It is called Mandara and dadap in Hindi, Parijata in Sanskrit, Kalyanamurruku in Tamil and Pangara in Marathi. There are over a hundred specis of erythrina in the world out of which eight indigenous and ten introduced ones occur in India.
It is a very fast growing, hardy, deciduous tree of medium height, often growing upto eighteen metres, though in some parts it never grows more than 7.5 metres. Its rare ability to flower when only 3-4 metres high makes it deservedly popular as an ornamental garden or park plant.
The bark of the coral tree is smooth grey-green and peels in patches. The trunk and branches are covered with sharp thorns which disappear as the tree gets older. They apparently protect the young tree from birds and animals. The roots are shallow and the wood is soft and brittle. The leaves are made up of three large triangular shaped leaflets (generally 4-6" long and 3-5" wide), the centre one being the largest. They are bright green in colour and fall in the winter, leaving the tree leafless until March or April. However young trees keep their leaves throughout the year.
The bright scarlet flowers appear from early January and often continue upto march or April They grow on spikes either alone or with others at the end of the smaller branches.
The flowers are large, 2 to 2.5 inches long, pod-shaped in dense racemes, 4 to 12 inches long and 5 inches broad, arranged almost to resemble a blazing torch at the ends of the branches.
The numerous whorls of flowers and buds encircle a good 22 to 25 cms of the stem and are of an unsual formation.
The flower consists of five petals, one of which is larger than the rest. It acts as an erect 'standard', oblong, pointed and narrowing at the base. Two are small 'wings' while the remaining two are similar in size, but a deep crimson in colour and known as 'keel petals'. These four small petals are partially enfolded by the base of the 'standard'. A long bunch of red stamens protrudes from between the 'keels'. The flowers have no scent, but that doesn't detract from its attraction for the birds. In fact a coral tree in full bloom always looks like an aviary. Crows, mynahs, rosy pastors, babblers and parakeets, as well as numerous bees and wasps swarm around the tree in noisy eagerness. By the love of the bees and the wasps for nectar, the flowers get fertilized.
Very soon after flowering, the seed pods begin to appear. They are green at first, later turning black. Their 15 to 30 cm of length may contain up to a dozen smooth, brown red or purple egg-shaped seeds. These seed pods remain on the tree throughout the year. They ripen from May to July.
The plant is propagated both from seeds which ripen about two months after the flowers and from cuttings.
The country people have turned to their own account, nature's forethought in arming this tree against the depredations and cattle and other animals by planting it as a hedge around cultivated gardens.
The uses of the Indian coral tree are wide and varied. It is planted along the sides of the of roads in coastal cities and also as hedges around the gardens. It acts as a support to pepper and grape vines, its qualifications for this position being its quick growth and suitable bark. More important, during the hottest months, the crowded foliage gives deep shade to the vines and keeps them moist; when the days become cool, all the leaves fall and the vines receive the sun they need.
The new leaves and tender shoots are used as pot herb, while the mature leaves are valued as cattle fodder. The yield of green foliage is heavy. An estimated two tons are obtained in one chopping of 40 trees, 6 years old.
The wood is light and soft, but quite durable and neither splits nor warps. Consequently, it is useful in making rafts, small boats, catamarans and carving ornaments. It is also suitable for cordage and paper pulp.
The seeds are poisonous, but the bark, leaves and their juice are reputed to have medicinal value. The bark is astringent, antibiblious, anti-expectorant and anthelmintic. The leaves are diuretic, laxative and applied externally for relieving pain in the joints. The fresh juice of the leaves is also used for relieving earache, toothache and killing worms in sores.
The deep red flowers are popular among Hawaiians for fashioning leis. A red dye is obtained on boiling the petals.
The tree is also said to have a beneficial effect on poor soil owing to the nitrogen feeding bacteria contained in the tubercules on the roots. They take in nitrogen from the air which is then used to nourish the poor soil.
The Indian coral tree finds a mention in Indian legends too and is supposed to have been grown in Indra's garden, from where Krishna stole the flowers. This resulted in a quarrel between his wives Rukmini and Satyabhama. It has also been mentioned in the "Mahabharata".
Indeed, the Indian coral tree is not only extremely decorative, but equally versatile and belies the old saying "All that glitters is not gold."
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