Parkia sumatrana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Parkia sumatrana Miq.

Protologue: Fl. Ind. Bat., Suppl. 1, Sumatra: 284 (1861).

Family: Leguminosae

Synonyms

• Parkia macrocarpa Miq. (1861) p.p. excl. leaves,
• Parkia streptocarpa Hance (1876),
• Parkia dongnaiensis Pierre (1899).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: kupang amas, petai belalong
• Indonesia: soga (Sulawesi)
• Malaysia: buah putai, kedaung (Iban, Sarawak), petai nering (Peninsular)
• Burma (Myanmar): mai-ka-tor (Shan), thit lein
• Cambodia: royôông (Kampot), ta sek (Kompong Speu)
• Laos: 'hua 'lôn²(Savannakhet), 'sôm²po:y¹'luang (Louang Prabang)
• Thailand: i-thao (south-eastern), luk ding (central)
• Vietnam: thúi (Biên Hoa), cặc heo, bung réo.

Distribution

Southern Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi.

Uses

In Indo-China, the powdered bark is used as a leech repellent. In Cambodia the macerated bark is applied in medicinal baths.

Observations

• A tree up to 35 m tall.
• Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, primary rachis including petiole 36 cm long, pinnae (5-)7-11(-18) pairs, secondary rachis up to 9.5 cm long, leaflets (12-)14-20(-37) pairs per pinna, oblong, (10.5-)11.5-21(-25) mm × (3-)4.5-8 mm, base weakly auriculate, apex rounded or slightly retuse.
• Peduncle 14-44 cm long, head clavate, 4-5 cm long, 3 cm in diameter; bisexual flowers, calyx up to 11 mm long, corolla up to 12 mm long, lobes up to 2 mm long.
• Infructescence consisting of up to 8 strap-shaped pods per head, pod up to 45(-52) cm long (including stipe) and 2 cm or 4.2-5.4 cm broad, variably pubescent, rarely twisted, stipe up to 10 cm long.
• Seeds 10-13 per pod and lying diagonally or 26-33 per pod and lying horizontally across the width of the pod.

Based on pod characters and number of leaflets two subspecies with a non-overlapping distribution are distinguished. Subsp. sumatrana is found in Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, (and the Philippines) and subsp. streptocarpa (Hance) H.C.F. Hopkins is found in Burma, Thailand, Indo-China and Peninsular Malaysia. Specimens collected in Borneo and Sumatra showing intermediate character states, even with P. singularis Miq., have recently received species rank as P. paya H.C.F. Hopkins. P. sumatrana is found scattered in evergreen forest, often along streams, on sandy, stony or clayey soils from (0-)100-600(-900) m altitude.

Selected sources

• [207] Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 774 pp.
• [319] Fortune Hopkins, H.C., 2000. Parkia paya (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae), a new species from swamp forest and notes on variation in Parkia speciosa sensu lato in Malesia. Kew Bulletin 55: 123—132.
• [740] Nielsen, I., 1981. Légumineuses-Mimosoïdées [Leguminosae-Mimosoideae]. In: Vidal, J.E. & Vidal, Y. (Editors): Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. Vol. 19. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. 159 pp.
• [1066] Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972—1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd Edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Main genus page

• Parkia (Medicinal plants)
• Parkia (Timbers)
• See also under Parkia speciosa (PROSEA) for the vegetable use.

Authors

• Umi Kalsom Yusuf
• Ervizal A.M. Zuhud