Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.

 
  • Family : FABACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : PALASH FAMILY (पलाश फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Leguminosae
  • Subfamily : Faboideae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.
  • Common name : Indian Kino Tree, Malabara Kino Tree, Almug, Saunderswood, Bastard teak, East Indian Kino, Gammalu, Kino
  • Vernacular name :
    • Bija, Piasal, Bijsaal, Vijaysaar (Hindi)
    • Raktha honne mara, Benga mara, Volle honne (Kannada)
    • Vaengai (Tamil)
    • Yegi, Peddagi, Yerra Yegisa, Yegisa, Yerra Chandanam (Telugu)
    • Bija, Piasal (Oria)
    • Asana, Bijaka, Murga (Sanskrit)
    • Karavenga, Venna, Venga (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Deciduous forests, also in the plains
  • Comments / notes : Occasional on hill slopes of deciduous forests up to 1400m and even in dry to fully exposed habitats. Bark when cut open yeilds a red resinous exudate which dries in solid block
  • Key identification features : Large deciduous tree
  • Flower, Fruit : March-November
  • Collector(s) Name : S.R.Ramesh, S.B.Manohar; M.Brahamam, S.Biswas, D.K.Sahu; S.Biswas, D.K.Sahu
  • Collection Date : 16-05-1979, 24-11-2007, 15-01-2008
  • Collection Nos : KFP 7674, RRL 10506, RRl 10683
  • Collection Locality : B.R. hills, Mysuru district; Chalanguda, Odisha; Chitrakonda, Odisha
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, East Godavari district, Prakasam district, Chittoor district, Anantapur district, Y.S.R. Kadapa district, Visakhapatnam district
    • Karnataka : All districts of Karnataka
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Odisha : Ganjam district, Sambalpur district, Malkangiri district
    • Tamil Nadu : Salem district, Tiruchirapalli district, Coimbatore district, Dharmapuri district, Kanyakumari district, Madurai district, The Nilgiri district, Ramanathapuram district, Tirunelveli district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district
    • Jharkhand :
    • Madhya Pradesh : Madhya Pradesh
    • West Bengal : Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Midnapur, Purulia
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
  • Conservation Status : Vulnerable (VU)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • R.Seshagiri Rao et al- Flora of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, 1986
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1.
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • Saldanha & Nicolson, 1976 – Flora of Hassan District
    • Cecil J. Saldanha, S. R. Ramesh (1984). Flora of Karnataka State vol. 1. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi
    • Gowda, 2004 - Sringeri
    • Seetharam et al., 2000 - Gulbarga
    • Rao & Razi, 1981 – A Synoptic Flora of Mysore District
    • Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Coorg
    • Manjunath et al., 2003 - Davanagere
    • Gopalakrishna Bhat, 2014 - Flora of South Kanara
    • Indigenous Plants at Biodiversity Park, Ranchi - Ranchi Afforestation Division, Forest and Environmental Department, Jharkhand
    • K.Ravikumar, A.C.Tangavelou, & Navendu Page. (2021). Seed plants of Karnataka, India: A concise dictionary. FRLHT-TDU, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Pterocarpus marsupium
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Pterocarpus marsupium. Downloaded on 3 October 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution

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