Adenanthera pavonina

• Botanical Name : Adenanthera pavonina L.

• The scientific name Adenanthera indicates presence of stalked glands on every anther and pavonina means peacock feather - like leaves; refers to the feathery leaves of the tree.

• Common Name : Ratanjali, Ratangunj, Red Sandalwood
• Plant Family : Mimosaceae
• Plant Form : Tree
• Occurrence (Special Areas) : Indroda Park, Van Chetana Kendra

About Adenanthera pavonina Plant :

• Habit : A tall, evergreen tree.
• Stem : Aerial, erect, branched, solid with greyish brown bark.
• Leaves : Compoundbipinnate, 15 - 20 cm long; pinnae 2 - 6 pairs, 10 - 15 cm long; leaflets 2 -  4.5 x 1.5 - 2.5 cm, elliptic-oblong, glabrous, alternately arranged on the rachis or stalk.
• Inflorescence : Racemes.
• Flowers :
  • Tiny, yellow, fragrant, subsessile in 10 - 25cm long terminal and axillary racemes.
  • 5 petals spread out in the form of a star.
• Fruits : A lomentum, pods 10 - 25 cm long, dark-brown or blackish-brown that are twisted when dry.
• Seeds : Red biconvex.
• Flowering and Fruiting time : March - June, May - Aug.
• Significance :
  • The timber is used as a substitute for red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus) and the bright-red seeds are used as weights and are also strung as beads.
  • The seeds are used for treating boils and inflammations.
  • They were used to weigh, gold ornaments, as each seed roughly weighs 0.26 gm.
  • The roots are emetic, while the bark is useful for treating chronic rheumatism and gout.