Parkia speciosa

Parkia speciosa

Parkia speciosa ( trivial name: Twisted Block bean, stink bean, petai, peteh, bitter bean, Thai: satoh ( สะตอ ) yongchaa, yongchaak or kampai, zawngṭah ) is a plant of the genus Parkia in the subfamily of the mimosa family ( Mimosoideae ) within the family Leguminosae ( Fabaceae ).

Use

Parkia speciosa bears long, flat legumes with bright green, edible seeds ( colloquially called beans ) that are similar in size and shape of almonds and have a peculiar garlic-like smell and taste. Triggered they are also exported (mostly from Thailand ) to Europe and the United States. These beans are, although their flavor, estimated in Laos, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India, where Parkia speciosa occurs. In the local markets, the pods in clusters or triggered seeds are offered in plastic bags. The legumes are harvested from wild or cultivated trees.

Description

Parkia speciosa grows as a tree, reaching heights of growth from 15 to 40 meters and trunk diameter of 50 to 100 cm. The bark of the branches is hairy. The leaves are divided into petiole and leaf blade. The 2-6 cm long petiole is enlarged glandular above the stem base. The leaf blade is fern-like, bipinnate, each with 31 to 38 pairs of opposite leaflets.

The flowers are relatively small and creamy white. The flowers but one of nectar which attracts bats and other pollinators.

( Colloquially called pod ) Each legume contains 10 to 18 large seeds.

System

Parkia speciosa was described by Carl Justus Hasskarl. The genus Parkia was erected in 1826 by Robert Brown, who the Scot Mungo Park honored with the botanical genus name. The specific epithet speciosa means beautiful, eye-catching. The genus Parkia R.Br. belongs to the tribe Mimoseae in the subfamily of the mimosa family ( Mimosoideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). A synonym for Parkia speciosa Hassk. is Parkia harbesonii Elmer ..