''Saraca'' L. is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

(

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

family) of about 20

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s native to the lands from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. This plant can be grown outdoors in distinctly warm humid climates, and prefer a moist, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. It can also be grown within greenhouses. The trees themselves are grown for their clustered, upturned flowers in yellow, orange or red. The tree's flowers lack petals, having brightly colored

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s, and have stamens projecting up to eight inches long. The leaves are

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

, with paired leaflets. Typically, these trees are accustomed to the shade of other trees. Most species of ''Saraca'' are associated with particular bodies of water. The species ''

Saraca asoca ''Saraca asoca'', commonly known as the ashoka tree (lit. "sorrow-less"), is a plant belonging to the Detarioideae subfamily of the Fabaceae family of plants (also referred to as the legume, pea, or bean family). The tree is native to the Indian ...

'' is believed to be the tree under which

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

was born. Red saraca is the provincial tree of Yala province,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Species

12 species are accepted: * ''

'' –

ashoka tree Ashoka tree is a common name for two plants which are frequently confused with each other: *'' Saraca asoca'', native to South Asia and western Myanmar *'' Saraca indica'', native to eastern Myanmar and Southeast Asia *'' Monoon longifolium'' i ...

* ''

Saraca celebica ''Saraca celebica'', commonly known locally as Sejenis Ashoka, in is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a tree found only in Sulawesi in Indonesia. Description ''Saraca celebica'' is a tree which grows up to in height. Leaves ar ...

'' * ''

Saraca declinata ''Saraca declinata'', the red saraca or sorrowless tree, is a tree in genus ''Saraca'' belonging to the family ''Fabaceae''. The species is found both in Thailand and Burma,Kress, W. John, DeFilipps, Robert A., Farr, Ellen, & Kyi, Daw Yin Yin. (2 ...

'' * ''

Saraca dives ''Saraca dives'', is a tree species in genus '' Saraca'' belonging to the family Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,Saraca griffithiana ''Saraca griffithiana'' (in the family Fabaceae Lindl.) is a tree native to Yunnan Province of China and also to Burma (Myanmar). It is a forest tree sometimes attaining a height of 18 m (54 feet). It can be distinguished from the related ''Saraca ...

'' * ''

Saraca hullettii ''Saraca'' L. is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legume family) of about 20 plant species of trees native to the lands from India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, southern China Malesia, and New Guinea. This plant can be grown ...

'' * ''

Saraca indica ''Saraca'' L. is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legume family) of about 20 plant species of trees native to the lands from India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, southern China Malesia, and New Guinea. This plant can be grown ...

'' * ''

Saraca monodelpha ''Saraca'' L. is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (legume family) of about 20 plant species of trees native to the lands from India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, southern China Malesia, and New Guinea. This plant can be grown ...

'' * ''

Saraca schmidiana ''Saraca'' Carl Linnaeus, L. is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Fabaceae (legume family) of about 20 plant species of trees native to the lands from India and Sri Lanka to Indochina, southern China Malesia, and New G ...

'' * ''

Saraca thailandica ''Saraca thailandica'', known locally as ''ta na'' (Karen) and ''sok lueang Mae Moei'' (), is an endangered species of tree in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Detarioideae. It is endemic to Thailand but may also grow in Myanmar. The pods and seed ...

'' * ''

Saraca thaipingensis ''Saraca thaipingensis'' is a tree species native to southeast Asia in the family Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,

'' * '' Saraca tubiflora''

Pests

''Saraca indica'' is host to the

peacock mite The peacock mites of the genus ''Tuckerella'' ( the only genus of the mite family Tuckerellidae) are a significant herbivorous pest in the tropics, for example on citrus fruit. Other species dwell in grasses, possibly as root feeders. The peaco ...

''Tuckerella channabasavannai''.

References

* De Wilde, W. J. J. O. (1985). ''Saraca tubiflora'', A New Species from West-central Sumatra (Caesalpinioideae). ''Blumea'' 30: 425-428. * Hooker, Joseph Dalton. (1879). ''The Flora of British India'', Vol II. London: L. Reeve & Co. * Mabberley, D. J. (1987). ''The Plant Book: A Portable Dictionary of the Higher Plants''. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

. . * Blaxell, D., Bryant, G., Francis, F., Greig, D., Guest, S., Moore, J., North, T., Paddison, V., Roberts, S., Rodd, T., Scholer, P., Segall, B., Stowar, J., Walsh, K. (2001) "The Firefly Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs." Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd. .

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2426272 Fabaceae genera