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Erythrina variegata L.
Synonym
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Chirocalyx candolleanus
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Family
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Fabaceae/Leguminosae
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Local name
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English - Indian coral tree
Malayalam
– Murukku
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Flowering
and fruiting period
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March-April
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Distribution
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Indo-Malesia, China and Africa
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Distribution
in kerala
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All Districts
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Habitat
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Dry
deciduous forests, widely grown as pepper stand and for fencing
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Uses
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Used in traditional medicine as nervine sedative,
collyrium in opthalmia, antiasthmatic, antiepileptic, antiseptic, and as an
astringent. The alkaloids extracted from the leaves of E. variegata are
reported to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity.
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Key Botanical Characters :
Deciduous trees; bark yellowish or
greenish-grey, smooth, peeling off in papery flakes; prickles black on
branches, falling after a few years. Leaves trifoliate, alternate,. Flowers
bisexual, bright red, in dense racemes. Calyx spathaceous, oblique, recurved,
split to the base on one side, 5-toothed at the tip. Petals 5, sessile ;
standard 6.5×2.5 cm, oblong-elliptic, apex obtuse ; Fruit a pod 15-30.5 cm
long, torulose, constricted between seeds, dehiscent; seeds 6-8.
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