Erythrina subumbrans

Erythrina subumbrans, common names Tton Tong or Dadap, is a flowering plant species in the genus Erythrina. The pterocarpans phaseolin, erybraedins A and B are found in the stems of E. subumbrans.

Description

A tall tree. It grows to 15-23 m high. Some kinds have prickles and some do not. The leaves are alternate and have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are smooth. The side 2 leaflets are round and 10-20 cm long. The end leaflet is larger. The flowering groups are 22 cm long. The flowers are red. The fruit are pods 10-14 cm long and 2-2.5 cm wide. They contain 1-5 seeds.

Edible Uses

Very young leaves are steamed and eaten in salads.

Traditional Uses

The very young leaves are steamed and then eaten in salads. The flowers are used as a potherb.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

A decoction of the bark is taken to treat spleen afflictions. A decoction of the leaves is used as a treatment for coughs. The pounded young leaves are applied as a poultice for women soon after giving birth and as a treatment for headache. The juice of the leaves is used as an eye-wash.

Known Hazards

All Erythrina species contain greater or lesser amounts of toxic alkaloids - these can be found in all parts of the plant but are usually most concentrated in the seeds. Concentrations vary from species to species, in some it is low enough that the plant is safely used as a food. In many, the alkaloids are utilized for their medicinal effects. We have no specific information on the concentration of the alkaloids in this species, but care should be exercised in any use of the plant that involves ingestion. These alkaloids have a curare-like action (obtained from Strychnos species) and can cause paralysis and even death by respiratory failure.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It needs light. It grows in dry open forest. It is used as shade for cacao and coffee. In Samoa it grows from sea level to 700 m altitude. In Indonesia it grows between 300-1,500 m above sea level. In southern China it grows between 300-600 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

American Samoa, Asia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Niue, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds.

Propagation

Fresh seeds, and those harvested within 3–6 months of maturity, can be sown without any special treatment and germination rates are generally high, often reaching 100%. Seeds over 6 months old may take 12–18 months to germinate due to a hard seed coat that toughens with age. Soaking in hot water or abrading the seed coat can reduce this time considerably — seeds may be added to water just below boiling point and left to soak as it cools for a minimum of one hour, or up to 12 hours for seed 3 or more years old. Alternatively, file the seed coat with a slender triangular file, taking care to avoid damaging the cotyledons or embryo, as this typically results in death from fungal attack or malformed, weakened seedlings. Most species produce strong seedlings in almost any well-drained soil with minimal trouble from damping-off disease. The plant can also be propagated from large cuttings — even those up to 25cm in diameter root easily. Note that seeds from thornless trees generally produce trees with thorns.

Other Uses

Grown as a shade tree in cocoa, coffee and tea plantations, and also used as a shelter crop for taro (Colocasia esculenta) and as a live support for yams (Dioscorea spp.), betel nut (Piper betle), pepper (Piper nigrum) and vanilla (Vanilla planivolia) vines. Loppings provide a quickly decomposing green manure, containing per 100g dry matter: N 1.5–3g, P 0.2–0.35g, K 1–2g. The tree is planted as a pioneer species in reforestation projects in northern Thailand, used in degraded woodland and open areas alongside other fast-growing species that produce dense, weed-suppressing crowns and attract seed-dispersing wildlife, particularly birds and bats. The wood is soft, light and coarse-grained with an uneven texture. The sapwood is not differentiated from the heartwood, which is light straw-coloured. It is used in canoe and raft building.

Notes

2n = 42 There are 108 Erythrina species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Chengkering, Choe tee, Coral tree, Dadap duri, Dadap lenga, Dadap lesang, Dadap limit, Dadap lisa, Dadap minyak, Dadap rangrang, Dadap ri, Dadap srep, Dedap batik, Dedap, Dhadhak, Gatae palagi, Pohon dadap rangrang, Tawng lang, Tawng pa, Vong hot-da, Ye-kathit

References (19)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 204
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 962
• Cao, Y., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by three trans-boundary ethnic groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu’er, Southwest China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2020) 16:66
• Elevitch, C.R.(ed.), 2006, Traditional Trees of the Pacific Islands: Their Culture, Environment and Use. Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, Hawaii. p 331
• Gardner, S., et al, 2000, A Field Guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand, Kobfai Publishing Project. p 176

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