Photo specimen : Semi-domesticated trees
Specimen height : 20-25 meters
Local names : Narra, Smooth narra, Prickly narra
Trade names : Narra, Smooth narra, Prickly narra
Botanical names : Pterocarpus indicus forma indicus
Pterocarpus indicus forma echinatus
Family : Fabaceae - Faboideae
Traits : Buttressed; Deciduous to evergreen; Drought tolerant; Emergent tree; Fast growing; Large tree; Long-lived species; Low to medium altitude species; Nitrogen-fixing; Spreading crown; Tolerant of infertile soil; Tolerant of occasional water-logging; Wind hardy; With extensive root system
Recommendations : Boundary marker; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Honey tree; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Living fence; Medicinal plant; Ornamental tree; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Timber belt; Timber plantations; Urban greening; Windbreak
Used for : Young leaves and inflorescence are edible but rarely eaten; Barks and leaves are used in the preparation of traditional medicines, also made into herbal teas and pills; Timber for boat building, light constructions, interior works, high-class furnitures, musical instruments, decorative veneers and flooring, tools and handicrafts; Red dye can be extracted from the heartwood; Felled branches for fuel wood and charcoal
Native range : Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), Ryuku islands (Japan), Caroline islands, Bismarck Archipelago, New Hebrides, Solomon Islands
National conservation status : Critically Endangered Species (DENR AO 2007-1)
(Note : Difference between Smooth narra and Prickly narra is mainly about their fruit (pod). The latter’s fruit have soft pricks as compared to the former’s being smooth; other vegetative characteristics do not hold)
Further reading :
DENR Administrative Order 2007-1 (Establishing the National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and their Categories, and the List of Other Wildlife Species)
Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo)
Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry (Pterocarpus indicus) http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Pterocarpus-narra.pdf
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