Pterocarpus » Balinghasai Farms

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)