Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex K.Heyne

Fabaceae

Heyne, K. (1927) De Nuttige Planten van Nederlandsch Indie ed. 2 2: 755.

Yellow Poinciana; Peltophorum; Soga; Yellow Flame Tree

Blaze odour aromatic.

Leaflet blades about 12-20 x 6-9 mm, +/- sessile, unequal-sided, apex usually emarginate. Lateral veins forming loops inside the blade margin. Young shoots densely clothed in brown hairs.

Flowers in large panicles about 30-50 cm long. Petals wavy and crumpled, about 15-18 mm long, pubescent towards the base on both inner and outer surfaces. Pollen orange. Stigma bright green.

Pods +/- winged or with thin margins, apex apiculate. Seeds 1-5 per pod, seeds very hard, about 9 x 4 mm.

Cotyledons somewhat fleshy, oblong or elliptic, about 16-20 x 7-10 mm, apex obtuse, base auriculate. At the tenth leaf stage: the terminal bud densely clothed in rusty red hairs; stem hairs +/- glandular. Seed germination time 12 to 232 days.

Occurs naturally in NT at low elevations, and naturalised in WA, CYP, NEQ and CEQ due probably to the direct or indirect consequences of cultivation (Fide Pedley,1998). Altitudinal range from near sea level to 100 m. Usually grows naturally in open forest but also found in monsoon forest and closed forest particularly on heavy soils on river flood plains. Also occurs in Malesia and Asia. Widely cultivated throughout the tropics particularly in areas with a marked dry season.

Inga pterocarpa DC., Prodr. 2: 441(1825), Type: Timor; holo: P; iso: K. Fide Ding Kou Fl, Males. ser. 1 12: 561 (1966). Peltophorum ferrugineum (Decne.) Benth., Flora Australiensis 2: 279(1864). Peltophorum inerme (Roxb.) Naves, Flore de Filipinas : 69(1880). Caesalpinia ferruginea Decne., Herb. Tim. Descr. : 134(1834), Type: Timor, holo: P?. Caesalpinia inerme Roxb., Hort Bengal : 90(1814), Type: Timor.