Bark - Specimen details

Bark - Specimen details

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Catalogue Number: 59387

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Plant Name 57.02 LEGUMINOSAE-CAESALPINIOIDEAE Caesalpinia pulcherrima Entry Book Number
Artefact Name Bark Vernacular Name
Iso Country India TDWG Region India
Parts Held Bark Geography Description India, Bombay
Uses BarkUse: MEDICINES - Digestive System Disorders User: Not defined TDWG use MEDICINES - Digestive System Disorders
Storage Bottles, boxes etc Related Items
Donor India Museum Donor No
Donor Date Donor Notes
Collector Collector No
Collection Notes Collection Date
Exhibition Expedition
Number Components Publication
Notes: Label source: History Uses etc - This elegant shrub, named after M.de Poinci, once Governor of the Antilles, has become quite naturalized in India, and is one of the commonest garden shrubs in Bombay. According to Ainslie it was introduced into the Bota, nical Gardens Calcutta in 1792. He gives the following description of it. 'These speecies in question is a most beautiful tree, which commonly rises to about 12 to 14 ft high, with leaves doubly pinnate, and leaflets oblong oval, emarginate ; they and th, e calices smooth, corymbes simple, petals fringed, stamens very long. It would apppear to be a native of both Indies. It is the Hoa-phung of the Cochin Chinese ; on the Malabar coast it is called Tsietti-mandaru ; in Ceylon its common name is Monora mal, , and from its extreme beauty, Burmann gave it the appellation of Crista pavonis flore elangtissimo variegata. The French in the West Indies call it Fleur de Paradis. The flowers come out in loose spikes at the extremities of the branches ; the petals w, hich have an agreeable odour and beautifully variegated with a deep red or orange colour, yellow and some spots of green.' All parts of the plant are said to be emmenagogue and purgative, but there appears to be no record of any exact observations upon, this point. The plant is not used medicinally in Bombay. Description - The bark is ash coloured, smooth, thickly studded with small elliptic corky warts, the whole of the suber readily separates like birch bark, disclosing a streaky mottled green and pi, nk surface, which is marked by numerous small scars corresonding to the warts above mentioned. The substance and internal surface of the bark is of a pinkish tinge. Taste rather nauseous, very astringent. Microscopic structure not in any way peculiar. P, arenchyma loaded with starch ; many cells containing red colouring matters. Dymock Pharm Journ.

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