Thespesia populnea

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Portia tree

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Gossypieae
Genus: Thespesia
Species: T. populnea
Binomial name
Thespesia populnea
(L.) Sol. ex Corrêa[1]
Trunk in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

The portia tree (Thespesia populnea, pronounced /ˈpɔrʃ(i)ə/ or /ˈpɔərʃ(i)ə/) is species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a small tree or arborescent shrub that is pantropical, found on coasts around the world. However, portia tree is probably native only to the Old World,[2] and may have originated in India.[3] In Hawaiʻi and elsewhere in the Pacific it is possibly indigenous, although may have been spread by early Polynesians for its useful wood and bast fibres. The portia tree reaches a height of 6–10 metres (20–33 ft) tall and a trunk diameter of 30–30 centimetres (12–12 in).[4] It grows at elevations of 0–275 metres (0–900 ft)[5] in areas that receive 500–1,600 millimetres (20–63 in) of annual rainfall.[2] The portia tree is able to grow in the wide range of soil types that may be present in coastal environments, including soils derived from quartz (sand), limestone, and basalt; it favors neutral soils (pH of 6-7.4).[4]

Common names vary according to the country and include Indian tulip tree, Pacific rosewood, seaside mahoe (in Florida), surina (the "elegant tree"), suriya (Sinhala), bebaru or baru baru (Malay), milo or miro (in many Polynesian languages), mako‘i (Rapanui), gangaraavi (Telugu), poovarasu (Tamil) and plaksa (Sanskrit).

On Pitcairn Island, miro (as it is called there) was once common but extensively logged.

Contents

[edit] Uses

The heartwood of the portia tree is dark reddish brown to chocolate brown and has a specific gravity of 0.55 to 0.89.[2] It is used to make the thavil, a Carnatic musical instrument of South India. Milo is popular in Hawaiʻi for woodworking (commonly turned into bowls) because of the range of colors expressed (tan, through yellow, to red). Traditionally it was planted in sacred groves and used for religious sculpture throughout eastern Polynesia. Mako‘i was used for the rongorongo tablets of Easter Island.[6] Since the advent of aluminium-hulled boats in the 20th century, Pitcairners have made regular trips to Henderson Island to harvest miro wood. Usually they only venture to Henderson only once per year, but may make up to three trips if the weather is favorable. Pitcairners carve the wood into curios, from which they derive much of their income.[7] The flower of the portia tree played a part in Sri Lanka's independence struggle, when it was sold on Remembrance Day by the Suriya-Mal Movement instead of the poppy to aid indigenous ex-servicemen.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Corrêa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?36526. Retrieved on 2009-01-29. 
  2. ^ a b c Francis, John K. (2003-01-01). "Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Corrêa" (PDF). Tropical Tree Seed Manual. Reforestation, Nurseries & Genetics Resources. http://www.rngr.net/Publications/ttsm/Folder.2003-07-11.4726/PDF.2004-03-16.0354/file. Retrieved on 2009-02-20. 
  3. ^ Nelson, Gil (1994). The Trees of Florida: a Reference and Field Guide. Pineapple Press Inc. p. 45. ISBN 9781561640553. http://books.google.com/books?id=Wzmo7cHvhZkC. 
  4. ^ a b Friday, J. B.; Dana Okano (April 2006). Thespesia populnea (milo). The Traditional Tree Initiative. http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Thespesia-milo.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-02-20. 
  5. ^ "Thespesia populnea". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=milo. Retrieved on 2009-02-20. 
  6. ^ Orliac, Catherine (October 2005). "The Rongorongo Tablets from Easter Island: Botanical Identification and 14C Dating". Archaeology in Oceania 40 (3). 
  7. ^ Brooke, M. de L.; I. Hepburn; R.J. Trevelyan (2004) (PDF). Henderson Island World Heritage Site Management Plan 2004–2009. Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London. p. 19. http://www.ukotcf.org/pdf/henderson.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-03-31. 

[edit] Gallery

in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.

in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.

in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.

in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.

leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

fruit & leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

flower & leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

[edit] External links

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