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Butea monosperma
Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Butea monosperma

Butea monosperma

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthSlow

A tree of drier areas in tropical and subtropical climates growing at low to moderate elevations up to 1,500 metres[1]. It is found in areas where the mean annual temperature is in the range -4 - 49°c, and the mean annual rainfall is 450 - 4,500 mm[1]. Plants can tolerate some frost, though they are usually defoliated by it[1]. Plants prefer a sunny position, though they also thrive with some shade[1]. Heavy shade depresses growth[1]. Grows best on old alluvial soils and weathered red basalts, however it succeeds on a wide variety of soils including shallow, gravelly sites, black cotton soil, clay loams, and even saline or waterlogged soils where few other trees will grow[2, 3]. Seedlings thrive best on a rich loamy soil with pH 6 - 7[3]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1]. A slow-growing tree[1]. If allowed to grow, trees attain a height of 3 - 5 metres with a trunk 15 - 20 cm diameter in 10 years[1]. Plants respond well to coppicing and pollarding, and produce root suckers freely[1]. Under dryland conditions and in its natural habitat, coppice management yields roughly 100 kg/tree of air-dry fuel wood every 5 years[1]. A characteristic tree of the plains, often forming pure patches in grazing grounds and other open places, escaping extermination owing to its resistance to browsing and its ability to reproduce from seed and root suckers[1]. As an exotic, it has successfully been acclimatized in Israel, although it is occasionally cut back by frost. It has also been introduced in Zimbabwe[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ[1]. Germination, which starts in about 10 - 12 days, is completed in 4 weeks[1]. Fresh seeds have a good germinative capacity (about 63%) at optimum germination temperature of about 30°c[1]. While germinating in the wild, the seed remains in the pod which opens at the tip and allows the young shoot and root to emerge[2]. The cotyledons remain attached to the seedling for a considerable time[2]. Root suckers. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Butea+monosperma>

Pollinators

Birds

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  3. [3]Digital Compendium of Forestry Species of Cambodia — www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com; Phnom Penh · 2008 · http://www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com ↩︎A very detailed booklet, produced in PDF format on the internet, giving information on around 100 species of trees.
  4. [4]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  5. [5]Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants — D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar · Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada · 2018 · ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 ↩︎
  6. [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  7. [7]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
  8. [8]Economic Products of India. Volume 1. — Watt. G. · Government of India: Calcutta. · 1883 ↩︎Although over 100 years old, it still contains a wealth of information on useful plants. Many of the botanical names have been changed since then, so you have to check for up to date names. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
  9. [9]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.