Thespesia populnea (Indian Tulip Tree/ Bhendi/ Paraspeepal/ Portia tree/ Pacific Rosewood/ Umbrella tree)

[J.M. Garg]

Taken at Bot. Gardens, Kolkata on 12/1/08. Commonly seen in Kolkata. It has yellow bell-shaped flowers, fading to pink. As it has already flowered I could only this fading flower.

The Portia tree (Thespesia populnea; Family Malvaceae) is a small tree or arborescent shrub 5-10 (-20) m high that is pantropical in littoral environments, although probably native only to the Old World. In Hawai'i and elsewhere in the Pacific it is possibly indigenous, although may have been spread by early Polynesians for its useful wood and fiber.

Common names vary according to the country and include (in addition to Portia tree), "Indian Tulip Tree", "Pacific Rosewood", "Suria" or "Surina" (also known as the "elegant tree"), "Suriya" ( Sinhala), "Bebaru"/"Baru Baru" (Malay), "milo" or "miro" (in many Polynesian languages), "Gangaraavi" (Telugu), "Poovarasu" (Tamil), "Plaksa" (Sanskrit) and "Seaside Mahoe" (Florida).

On Pitcairn Island, miro (as it is called there) was once common but extensively logged. Throughout the 20th century, Pitcairners have sailed to Henderson Island to obtain miro wood. They use the wood to make curios from which they derive much of their income (Binggeli, 1999). Milo is popular in Hawaii for woodworking (commonly turned into bowls) because of the range of colors expressed (tan, through yellow, to red).

The flower of the Portia tree played a part in Sri Lanka's independence struggle, when it was sold by the Suriya-Mal Movement instead of the poppy to aid indigenous ex-servicemen.

Uses

The wood of the portia tree is used to make Thavil, a famous Carnatic Musical Instrument of South India. The wood is also made into a popular brand of knitting needles and crochet hooks known as Surina or surina wood.

Above information taken from Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_tree

For further details, pl. click:  
http://www.hibiscus.org/species/tpopulnea.php
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With regards,
J.M.Garg
"What ultimately remains, is the hand you extend to others"
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