Common name: Flame Tree, Royal Poinciana •
Hindi: Gulmohar गुलमोहर
• Bengali: Krishnachura •Kannada: Kempu torai
Botanical name: Delonix regia
Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Introduction: Discovered in the early 19th century in its
native Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer, Gulmohar is a flamboyant tree in
flower - some say the world's most colorful tree. For several weeks in spring
and summer it is covered with exuberant clusters of flame-red flowers, 4-5 in
across. Even up close the individual flowers are striking: they have four spoon
shaped spreading scarlet or orange-red petals about 3 in long, and one upright
slightly larger petal (the standard) which is marked with yellow and white. The
delicate, fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets, which
fold up at the onset of dusk. Gulmohar gets 30-40 ft tall, but its elegant
wide-spreading umbrella-like canopy can be wider than its height. Gumohar is
naturalized in India and is widely cultivated as a street tree.
Chemical constituents
Stem
bark: flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, sterols,
stigmasterols, carotene, hydrocarbons phytotoxins β-sitosterol, lupeol ,
p-methoxybenzaldehyde, isolupeol, carotene, hydrocarbons phytotoxins and phenolic
acids.
Root
bark: glycosides, tannins, alkaloids, sterols, terpenoids
and carbohydrates.
Flowers:
flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, steroids carotenoids(lycopene,
phytoene, phtofluene, β-carotene, prolycopene, neolycopene, δ-lycopene and
γ-lycopene), phenolic acid (gallic acid, protocatehuic acid, salicylic acid,
trans-cinnamic acid and chlorogenic acid), anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-glucoside
and cyanidin-3-gentiobioside and β- sitosterol.
Leaves:
lupeol, phenolic acids (gallic acid, protocatehuic acid and salicylic acid) and
β- sitosterol.
Seeds:
Saponins and galactomannons.
Traditional
Uses The extract of Delonix regia is known to have
medicinal properties. This plant is used in several countries to prepare
extracts with antimicrobial and antifungal activities. Delonix regia Rafin.
with an impressive range of medicinal and biological properties, has been used
in the folk medicine systems of several civilizations like for the treatment of
constipation, inflammation, arthritis, hemiplagia, leucorrhoea and rheumatism.
Delonix regia Rafin. flower were used in dysmenorrhoea, as antibacterial,
antiinflammatiory, broad spectrum antibacterial, analgesic, antimicrobial and
antifungal. The flowers have been used as traditional herbal remedies for
gynecological disorders and they are also used as tablet binder. Seeds of
Delonix regia contain flavonoids are used as wound healing agent in households
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