Oroxylum indicum - Broken Bones Tree

Broken Bones Tree

ative

Photo: Dinesh Valke

Common name: Broken Bones Tree, Indian Trumpet Flower, Tree of Damocles • Hindi: भूत वृक्ष Bhut-vriksha, दीर्घवृन्त Dirghavrinta, कुटन्नट Kutannat, मण्डूक Manduk, पत्रोर्ण Patrorna, पूतिवृक्ष Putivriksha, शल्लक Shallaka, शूरण Shuran, सोन or शोण Son, वटुक Vatuk • Manipuri: ꯁꯝꯕꯥ Shamba • Marathi: टायिटू Tayitu, टेटु Tetu • Nepali: टटेलो Tatelo • Tamil: சொரிகொன்றை Chori-Konnai, பாலையுடைச்சி Palai-y-Utaicci, பூதபுஷ்பம் Puta-Puspam • Malayalam: പലകപയ്യാനി Palaqapayyani, വാശ്പ്പാതിരി Vashrppathiri, വെള്ളപ്പാതിരി Vellappathiri • Telugu: మండూకపర్ణము Manduka-Parnamu, పంపెన Pampena, శూకనాసము Suka-Nasamu, తుందిలము Tundilamu • Kannada: ತಿಗಡೆ Tigade, ತಟ್ಟುನ Tattuna, ಆನಂಗಿ Anangi, ಅಲಂಗಿ Alangi, ಸೊನೆಪಟ್ಟ Sonepatta, ಪಟಗಣಿ Patagani, ಸಳಾ Salaa • Konkani: Davamadak • Bengali: সোনা Sona • Oriya: टटेलों Tatelo • Assamese: তোগুনা Toguna • Sanskrit: अरलु Aralu, श्योनक Shyonaka • Mizo: Archangkawm • Tangkhul: Phong

Botanical name: Oroxylum indicum Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda family)
Synonyms: Bignonia indica, Calosanthes indica

Broken Bones Tree is a native tree often grown as an ornamental for its strange appearance. The long, podded fruits hang down from bear branches, looking like dangling sickles or swords in the night. The tree is also a night-bloomer and is pollinated naturally by bats. Additionally, after the large leaf stalks wither, they fall off the tree and collect near the base of the trunk, appearing to look like a pile of broken limb bones. It is a medium sized deciduous tree, growing 8-12 m tall. The bark is grayish brown with corky lenticels. The leaves are huge, 0.5-1.5 m long, 2-3 pinnate, leaflets 12 cm long and 8 cm broad. The flowers are reddish- purple outside and pale, spinkish-yellow within, numerous, in large erect racemes. The fruits are flat capsules, 0.33-1 meter long and 5-10 cm broad, sword-shaped. The seeds numerous, flat and winged all around, except at the base. Flowering: June-July.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke

Photographed at Shahapur, Maharashtra.

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