Barringtonia racemosa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng.

Protologue: Syst. veg. 3: 127 (1826).

• Barringtonia stravadium Blanco (1837),
• Barringtonia pallida (Miers) Koord. & Valeton (1900),
• Barringtonia salomonensis Rech. (1912),
• Barringtonia insignis Miq.

• Common putat (En)
• Brunei: putat aying
• Indonesia: butun darat (Indonesian, Moluccas), penggung (Javanese, Sundanese), putat sungai (Bangka)
• Malaysia: putat ayam, putat kampong (Peninsular), putat ayer (Sabah)
• Papua New Guinea: paopao (Gunantuna, East New Britain), paniak (Plitty, Manus Province)
• Philippines: apalang (Filipino), putat (Tagalog, Bikol, Samar-Leyte Bisaya, Panay Bisaya, Sulu, Magindanao), nuling, tuba-tuba (Cebu Bisaya)
• Burma (Myanmar): kye-bin, kyi
• Laos: som pawng
• Thailand: chik ban, chik suan (central).
• Vietnam: tim lang, chiếc hoa vàng

From eastern Africa and Madagascar to Sri Lanka, India, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, southern China, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Thailand, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, throughout the Malesian region towards Micronesia, Polynesia (east to Fiji and Samoa) and northern Australia.

In Indonesia, the pounded roots, fruits or bark are used as a fish poison. In the Philippines the bark is used as a fish poison. A decoction of the bark is externally applied as an antirheumatic. In Peninsular Malaysia and East New Britain, leaves, roots or bark are externally applied to treat chickenpox. In Peninsular Malaysia, a poultice is also applied for itch. In Papua New Guinea, a decoction of the scraped nut is drunk to relieve a cough, sinusitis or bronchitis. In Indo-China, the roots are employed as a febrifuge; an infusion is used for measles. The fruit is considered efficacious for coughs and asthma and the peeled seed mixed with flour and oil for diarrhoea. The seed is internally applied for colic and externally for ophthalmia. The seed is also used as a fish poison. In India, the fruit is used for poulticing sore throat and skin eruptions. The fresh or cooked leaves are eaten as a vegetable. It is occasionally planted as a roadside tree.

• A shrub or small to medium-sized tree, 2-20(-27) m tall, trunk 10-50 cm in diameter, twigs 3-6 mm in diameter.
• Leaves tufted, obovate-oblong or obovate-lanceolate, 14-36(-42) cm × 4-14(-16) cm, base cuneate, acute to acuminate, petiole slightly winged.
• Raceme or spike terminal, rarely ramiflorous, pendulous, 20-70(-100) cm long, (3-)7(-20)-flowered, pedicel up to 2.5 cm long, opening buds 0.5-1 cm long, calyx tube about 2-5 mm long, accrescent, rupturing in 2-4(-5) (un-)equal segments, red, petals 4, elliptical, convex, 1.5-2.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm, white (occasionally red), stamens in (5-)6 whorls, 2-4 cm long, white, pink, purple or red, ovary (2-)3-4-celled, style (2-)3-5.5 cm long, pink, purple, red or white.
• Berry ovoid, 5-7(-9) cm × 2-4(-5.5) cm, subtetragonous, truncate, tapering at base, pericarp 3-12 mm thick, exocarp rather fleshy with dispersed fibres and a wrinkled, reticulate or fissured outer layer, endocarp a strong layer of longitudinal anastomosing fibres covered inside by a thin brown membrane.
• Seed ovoid, 2-4 cm × 1-1.5 cm, subtetragonous, tapering towards the apex, rather flat at the base.

B. racemosa is found in primary and secondary forest, mostly restricted to inundated flood plains on tidal river banks, or in swampy localities, also behind the mangrove or in the upper mangrove swamp. It grows well under slightly saline conditions or on beaches near high water level, with a preference for heavy clay, loam or rich volcanic soils, usually a little above sea-level and occasionally up to 500(-900) m altitude.

128,

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240, Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.

164,

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1988. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. Revised Edition. Vol. 2B. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India. xlii + 350 + 90 pp.380, 407

• Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp., 786, 788, 810, 1008. medicinals

• M.A. Yaplito