Oroxylum indicum is a species of flowering plant, in the monotypic genus Oroxylum in the family Bignoniaceae.[1][3]:128 It is commonly called Indian trumpet tree,[4]oroxylum,[5]Indian trumpet flower,[6]broken bones,[7]scythe tree,[8]tree of Damocles,[4] or midnight horror.[9] It can reach a height of 18 metres (59ft). Various segments of the tree are used in traditional medicine.[4][10]
Taxonomy
Genetic analysis suggests the closest relative of Oroxylum is the genus Millingtonia; this pair of genera are then probably next most closely related to a clade containing Catalpa and Chilopsis.[11]
Etymology
Its genus name Oroxylum comes from Greek words ὄροςoros 'mountain' and ξύλονxylon 'wood', and its epithet means "from India".[12]
Description
The tree grows up to 27m (89ft) tall with a trunk diameter of 10–40cm (3.9–15.7in) with grey bark. A mature tree has few branches[3]:129 growing large pinnate leaves, which are the largest of all dicot tree leaves. The blade, or lamina can be as much as 2.2m (7ft 3in) long by 2.2m (7ft 3in) wide.[13] Each leaf stalk, or petiole, is up to 2m (6.6ft) long comprising four pinnate branches,[13] each branch is approximately 1m (3.3ft) in length and comparably wide,[7][14] borne on petioles or stalks. All parts of the leaflet stalk grow at once, with dead stalks falling off the tree and collecting near the base of the trunk, looking like a pile of broken limb bones.[13][14]
The flowers grow from long pedicels at the end of 2-4 cm long racemes, their brown or dirty-violet calyxes are leathery. They have a sharp smell and bloom at night to attract pollination by bats.[7][3]:129 They form enormous seed pods; these are up to 1.5m (4.9ft) long that hang down from bare branches, resembling swords.[7][15] The long fruit curve downward and resemble the wings of a large bird or dangling sickles or swords in the night, giving the name "tree of Damocles".[4] The seeds are round with papery wings.[16]
Fruit
Large Oroxylum pods sold at a market in Bangkok, Thailand
In the Himalayas, people hang sculptures or garlands made from O. indicum (Skr. shyonaka) seeds from the roof of their homes in belief they provide protection.[21]
It is a plant with edible leaves, flower buds, pods and stems.[3]:130 The large young pods, known as Lin mai or Lin fa in Loei, are eaten especially in Thailand and Laos. They are first grilled over charcoal fire and then the inner tender seeds are usually scraped and eaten along with lap.[22] Known as karongkandai among the Bodos of north east India, its flowers and fruit are eaten as a bitter side dish with rice. Its fruit are eaten as a side dish and water of boiled leave and bark as traditional medicine in Mizoram. It is known in Mizoram as Archangkawm. It is often prepared with fermented or dried fish and believed by them to have medicinal uses. The pods also eaten by Chakma people in Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh and India. Its called "Hona Gulo 𑄦𑄧𑄚 𑄉𑄪𑄣𑄮" in Chakma language.
The plant is used as food by the Karen people. The flower buds are boiled and pickled. The young pods are cut open raw and the tender seeds inside are used in various local dishes.[23]
In traditional medicine
Oroxylum indicum seeds are used in traditional Indian Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines.[4] Root bark is one of the ingredients thought to be useful in compound formulations in Ayurveda and other folk remedies.[4][24][25]
In art
Kelantanese and Javanese peoples forge a type of keris in the shape of the plant's seed pod called the keris buah beko.[26]
In mythology
Because the pods are shaped like swords, people in West Java believe planting Oroxylum trees can protect their homes from thieves.[3]:130
The Onge name for the tree is talaralu.[27] According to an Onge myth, the first of the Onge people, also named Onge, was created by Eyuge (monitor lizard) from Oroxylum wood. Onge made a shelter and planted Oroxylum trees around it, and created more human beings from the trees. The trees were planted in pairs, giving rise to both Onge men and women. Only Onge people were created in this way; Onge mythology offers no explanation for the existence of non-indigenous people or other indigenous Andamanese peoples.[28]
↑Swaminathan, M.S.; Kochhar, S.L. (2019). Major Flowering Trees of Tropical Gardens. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p.287. ISBN9781108640633.
123Corner, E. J. H. (1952). Wayside Trees of Malaya. Vol.1. Singapore: Govt. Printing Office. p.166.
↑Barwick M, van der Schans A (2004). Tropical and Subtropical Trees – An Encyclopedia. Portland: Timber Press. p.304.
↑"Oroxylum indicum". eFloras.org. Dinghushan Plant Checklist, Chinese Academy of Science.
↑Theobald, W.L. (1981). Bignoniace. In: Dassanayake, M.D. and Fosberg, F.R. (Eds.). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon. Amerind Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
↑Jayaweera, D.M.A. (1981). Medicinal Plants (Indigenous and Exotic) Used in Ceylon. Part I (Acanthaceae – Burseraceae). National Science Council of Sri Lanka, Colombo.
↑Che Husna Azhari (2011). Artifak Sains Dan Teknologi Alam Melayu. Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia: Institute of the Malay World & Civilization, National University of Malaysia. pp.24–25. ISBN9789832457336.
