Flame of the Forest
A tropical plant. It is native to India, Burma and Sri Lanka. They are frost tender. It grows in the Himalayas up to 1,220 m altitude. It can grow on gravels or plains soils. It needs a well-drained soil. It needs full sun. It can tolerate some soil salinity. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In Yunnan.
Also known as:
Bastard Tree, Bengal kino, Chan mot hot, Char, Charr, Chhar, Dangs, Dhak, Gienggieng, Khakhar, Moduga, Morud, Mutthuga, Muttuga, Palas in samatha, Palas, Palasa, Palash, Palasha, Parasa, Parsa, Plah, Ploso, Pohon api-api hutan, Pohon palasa, Polash, Thawng-kwaao, Thong-gwao
Synonyms
- Butea frondosa Koenig ex Roxb.
- Erythrina monosperma Lamk.
- Plaso monosperma Kuntze
Edible Portion
- Roots, Flowers, Gum, Leaves, Pods
Where does Flame of the Forest grow?
Found in: Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
Notes: There are 2-4 Butea species. The leaf is used as a plate for serving food.
Status: It is not known if they are used as food in Papua New Guinea.
Growing Flame of the Forest
Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. They should be planted as soon as they ripen. The seedlings can be transplanted after 2-3 years.
Edible Uses: The root has been recorded as eaten in India and Cambodia. The succulent young roots are roasted or boiled and eaten with salt. The flowers are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Production: The tree is slow growing.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
References
Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 91
Bandyopadhyay, S. et al, 2009, Wild edible plants of Koch Bihar district, West Bengal. Natural Products Radiance 8(1) 64-72
Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 73
Bole, P.V., & Yaghani, Y., 1985, Field Guide to the Common Trees of India. OUP p 45
Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 198
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 388
Cengel, D. J. & Dany, C., (Eds), 2016, Integrating Forest Biodiversity Resource Management and Sustainable Community Livelihood Development in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest. International Tropical Timber Organization p 119
Chandrakumar, P., et al, 2015, Ethnobotanical studies of wild edible plants of Gond, Halba and Kawar tribes of Salekasa Taluka, Gondia District, Maharashtra State, India. International Research Journal of Pharmacy 6(8)
Dey, A. & Mukhererjee, A., 2015, Living and Survival Amidst Hunger: Wild Edible Botanicals as a Prime Forest Productivity in the Rural Purulia District, West Bengal, India from Colonial to Present. Research Journal of Forestry 9(3): 71-86
Engel, D.H., & Phummai, S., 2000, A Field Guide to Tropical Plants of Asia. Timber Press. p 29
H. G. A. Engler & K. A. E. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(3):366. 1894
GAMMIE, (As Butea frondosa)
GUPTA & KANODIA,
Krishen P., 2006, Trees of Delhi, A Field Guide. DK Books. p 192
Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 19
Llamas, K.A., 2003, Tropical Flowering Plants. Timber Press. p 216
Lord, E.E., & Willis, J.H., 1999, Shrubs and Trees for Australian gardens. Lothian. p 49 (As Butea frondosa)
McMakin, P.D., 2000, Flowering Plants of Thailand. A Field Guide. White Lotus. p 19
Mishra, S. & Chaudhury, S. S., 2012, Ethnobotanical flora used by four major tribes of Koraput, Odisha, India. Genetic Resources Crop Evolution 59:793-804
Phon, P., 2000, Plants used in Cambodia. © Pauline Dy Phon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. p 108
Prashanth Kumar, G.M. and Shiddamallayya, N., 2015, Ethnobotanical Study of Less Known Wild Edible Plants of Hakki Pikki Tribes of Angadihalli, Hassan District, Karnataka. Journal or Medicinal Plants Studies 3(5):80-85
Sahni, K.C., 2000, The Book of Indian Trees. Bombay Natural History Society. Oxford. p 87
Sarma, H., et al, 2010, Updated Estimates of Wild Edible and Threatened Plants of Assam: A Meta-analysis. International Journal of Botany 6(4): 414-423
SAXENA;
SHANKARNARAYAN & SAXENA.
Singh, G. K. & Ahirwar, R. K., 2013, An Ethnobotanical Survey for Certain Wild Edible Plants of Chanda Forest District Dindori Central India. International Journal of Science and Research. 6:14
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 167
Swaminathan, M.S., and Kochnar, S.L., 2007, An Atlas of Major Flowering Trees in India. Macmillan. p 103
Verdcourt, B., 1979, Manual of New Guinea Legumes. Botany Bulletin No 11, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. p 463
WATT, 1908, (As Butea frondosa)
Wild edible plants of Himachal Pradesh
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew