Barringtonia racemosa

Barringtonia racemosa, commonly known as powder-puff tree, is a species of tree in the family Lecythidaceae. It is found in coastal swamp forests and on the edges of estuaries in the Indian Ocean, starting at the east coast of Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malesia, Maldives, Thailand, Laos, southern China, northern Australia, coastal Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and many Polynesian islands. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia' records that the Indigenous people of the Mitchell River District called this plant "Yakooro" and that "The root of this tree has a bitter taste, and is used by Hindoo [sic.] practitioners on account of its aperient and cooling qualities. The seeds and bark are also used in native medicine; the latter is of a reddish colour, and is said to possess properties allied to the Cinchonas. The pulverised fruit is used as snuff, and, combined with other remedies, is applied externally in diseases of the skin. (Treasury of Botany)." The powder-puff tree is a protected tree in South Africa.

Description

A small evergreen tree or shrub reaching a height of 10-16 m. It spreads to 5 m across. The stem is erect and branching. The tree has a rounded crown. The leaves are crowded at the ends of the branches. They are dark green and 25 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. Leaves can be twice this size. They are pointed at both ends and with toothed edges. The branches are marked with leaf scars. The flowers are white or pink and about 2 cm across. They occur in hanging stalks with individual flowers along the stalk. These stalks can be 25 cm long. The fruit hang along these stalks. The fruit is oblong to oval and somewhat 4 angled. Fruit can be 8 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. They are oval and irregular. They are green or purple. They contain only one seed.

Edible Uses

The seeds are pounded and starch is extracted from them. Young leaves are eaten as a cooked vegetable after being soaked in lime water.

Traditional Uses

The seeds and young leaves are eaten. The seeds are pounded and starch extracted. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are first soaked in lime water. Caution: The fruit are used to poison wild pigs.

Medicinal Uses

The root is febrifuge. A decoction of the bark is externally applied as an antirheumatic and to treat chickenpox. The bark is applied externally to treat chicken pox and as a poultice to relieve itch. The fruit is used to treat coughs, asthma and diarrhoea. It is pulverized and used as snuff. The Zulu tribe of South Africa uses the fruit as a remedy for malaria. The fruit is used externally for poulticing sore throat and skin eruptions. A decoction of the scraped nut is drunk to relieve a cough, sinusitis or bronchitis. Although considered poisonous, the seeds are used to treat intestinal worms, and are employed by midwives for promoting parturition. The seed is peeled, mixed with flour and oil, and used in the treatment of diarrhoea. The seed is used externally to treat ophthalmia. In Malaysia, the leaves traditionally are used to treat high blood pressure and as a depurative. The pounded leaves are applied externally to treat chicken pox and as a poultice to relieve itch.

Known Hazards

The seed contains saponins and is poisonous. It is sometimes used as a fish poison. The pounded roots, fruits and bark are all used as fish poisons. The fruits are used to poison wild pigs.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It prefers well-drained, moist, humus rich soil. It can grow in a sheltered, partly shaded position. It is drought tender and very frost tender. Found throughout the Philippines in areas of shrub near the seashore and open lowlands up to 320 m altitude. It grows in coastal swamps and along stream banks. It can resist strong sea breezes. It is salt tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Carolines, China, Christmas Island, Chuuk, Comoros, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, FSM, Guam, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Yap,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Seed need to be sown fresh. It can be grown from cuttings.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. It can be sown in situ or in a partially shaded nursery seedbed and then planted out when large enough. The seed should be sown 3 - 5cm deep in a vertical position with the basal end down -the roots emerge from this end and the shoots emerge from the apex. Seeds from ripe fruits will start to germinate after 7 days. Seeds on their side will take longer to become established. Nearly 100% of viable seeds can be expected to germinate, as there is no seed dormancy. It takes 2 - 3 months to germinate a ripe fruit. Seedlings are ready for field planting about 2 - 3 months after germination, when around 20 - 30cm tall Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Air layering.

Other Uses

An oil is obtained from the seed. It is used as an illuminant. The bark yields tannin. The bark of the stems and roots has a high tannin content and is used locally for tanning. Uses as a dye have not been recorded, but the type of tannins present in the bark is widely used all over the world for dyeing vegetable fibres into shades of reddish brown and also grey and black with iron mordants. The seed contains saponins and is used as an insecticide. Extracts of the plant have proved effective against Citrus aphis. The bark is utilized as cordage. The heartwood is a pale yellow-brown wood, sometimes with a reddish tinge; it is not differentiated from the sapwood. The grain is straight, texture moderately fine and even. The wood is light in weight, soft, not durable. It yields a medium-weight hardwood. The sapwood is permeable, the heartwood moderately resistant to pressure impregnation. The wood is used for light work that does not require great strength. It is utilized for temporary construction, local house building (posts and beams), general planking, flooring, boat building, mouldings, interior finish, handles of non-striking tools, household utensils, agricultural implements, boxes and crates and wooden pallets. It is suitable for veneer and plywood manufacturing. In India, it is used additionally for carts, rice pounders and cabinetwork. In the Philippines, it has been reported that when treated with preservatives, the timber can be used to make good ties and paving blocks. In the Pacific region, the wood has additionally been used for carving and turnery. The wood has been applied in various kinds of wood-based panels such as hardboard, particleboard and block board, and has also been used for the production of pulp. As the trees are often not large enough to be converted in saw mills and supplies are small, use of the timber is limited and it is not sold on the international market. Provides suitable firewood.

Production

Trees grow easily and rapidly.

Other Information

It is not known if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea.

Notes

Many parts of the plant are used to stun fish. There are about 40 Barringtonia species. It possibly has anti-cancer properties.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Butun darat, Cassowary pine, Foto-be, Freshwater mangrove, Ijjal, Jik, Kaiengal, Kyi-byu, Mango Pine, Massinhava, Midhilijan, Mtoko, Mutovatova, Paopao, Pneggung, Poeierkwasboom, Pohon putat sungai, Powder-puff tree, Putat darat, Putat kamp, Putat kampung, Putat kedul, Putat sungai, Rfungue, Samudraphala, Taung-kyi

References (48)

• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 68
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 90
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 45
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 54
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 133

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