Crateva religiosa

Illustration of Crateva religiosa

Crateva religiosa is a plant that belongs to the family of caper plants ( Capparaceae ). It is widely distributed in the tropical zones of Asia. It has locations in China, Taiwan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Pacific Islands.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Can Crateva religiosa grows as a deciduous tree, the plant height 3-15 meters and trunk diameter of 40 cm ( BHD) to achieve. The plant parts have no hairs ( trichomes ). The bark of the branches is light green to yellowish green when dry with gray elongated lenticels.

The alternate arranged leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The usually 6-7 (5 to 10 ) cm long petioles have near the rachis tiny triangular shaped glands. The unpaired pinnate leaf blades are composed of three leaflets. The leaflets have a thin initially, later become thicker, usually 3-5 (rarely to 7 ) mm long stalk. The thin and leathery leaflets are of a length of usually 5.5 to 7 (4 to 10 ) cm and a width of (rarely 2 to ) 3 to 4 cm from two to two and half times as long as wide. On both sides of the reddish central one, there are five to ten lateral nerves, the nerve network are clearly visible. The Endfiederblatt has an asymmetric base. The stipules are small and triangular.

Generative features

At the ends of new branches where fewer short leaves are formed below the flowers are schirmtraubige or racemose inflorescences with 10-25 flowers. After the flowering period the inflorescence axis slightly longer and stay on her after dropping the flowers back significant scars. The early falling bracts are leaves- leaf-like or thin and 0.8 to 1.5 cm long.

The flower stems have a length of 2 to 5 cm. The flowers open between March and May before the leaves unfold. The hermaphrodite flowers are usually more or less radial symmetry and fourfold with double perianth. The four oval greenish sepals have a length of 2 to 4.5 mm and a width of 1.5 to 3 mm. The four white to yellow petals are 3.5 to 5 mm long, keeled and Kronblattspreite is 1.5 to 2.2 cm long. There are usually 16 to 22, rarely up to 30 stamens present, with 3 to 6 cm long stamens are fused at the base 1-4 mm long and 2-3 mm long anthers. It is formed a 3.5 to 6.5 cm long Gynophor. Conjoined stamens and Gynophor together give a Androgynophor. The upper permanent, unilocular ovary is ovate to almost cylindrical with a length of 3 to 4 mm and a diameter of 1 to 2 mm. There are many ovules exist. It is a nectary present.

There are hanging on stalks, ovate to ovate - runs, 1.8 to 2.6, rarely to 3.5 cm long formed berries, which contain 25 to 50 seeds. The leathery, 5 to 10 mm thick pericarp is gray - colored dust- up with almost circular, ash- yellow spots. The dark brown seeds are 1.2 to 1.8 cm in size and warty. The fruits usually ripen from July to August, sometimes until October.

The chromosome number is 2n = 26

Ecology

Crateva religiosa can form plant galls induced by the Fly Neolasioptera crataevae.

Visitors of Crateva religiosa are mostly honey bees, but also from a moth of the superfamily of Gelechioidea, from the Monarch Butterfly, from the Grand cabbage white butterfly, wasps of the family Vespidae and even birds such as the Rose-ringed Parakeet or of birds from the family of sunbirds is Crateva religiosa visited.

System

This species was in 1786 with the notation Crataeva by Johann Georg Adam Forster in Dissertatio ... De Plantis Esculentis Insularum Oceani Australis, pp. 45-46, and in the same year in Fl. Ins. Austr, p 35 published with a brief description. The spelling Crateva religiosa is valid.

Others

Religious significance Crateva religiosa at Hindus in northern India. Parts of the plant are also used by Ayurvedic medicine.

The place Kagoshima has Crateva religiosa chosen as a symbol plant. In India, she was already stamp motif.

Swell

• Zhang Mingli & Gordon C. Tucker: Capparaceae in the Flora of China, Volume 7, 2008, 435: Crateva religiosa - Online. (Section Description, distribution and systematics)
• H. Panda: Handbook On Medicinal Herbs With Uses, Asia Pacific Business Press, Delhi 2004, ISBN 81-7833-058- X: Google Book online: Crataeva religiosa pp. 396-397.
• Shashi Bala Sharma, Anita Rana, SVS Chauhan: Reproductive biology of Crataeva religiosa Forst: Full -text online. (Section Ecology )