Erythrina variegata

"Tiger claw" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger claw (disambiguation).

Tiger's Claw
Tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Erythrina
Species:	E. variegata
Binomial name
Erythrina variegata L.

Erythrina variegata (syn. E. indica Lam., E. variegata var. orientalis (L.) Merr.; Tiger's Claw, Indian Coral Tree and Sunshine Tree) is a species of Erythrina native to the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, northern Australia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean east to Fiji.^[1]

It is known as the Roluos Tree in Cambodia, deigo on Okinawa, drala on Fiji, madar in Bangladesh, Modar in Assam, man da ra ba in Tibet, as thong lang in Thailand and as vông nem in Vietnam.

Flower in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

It is a thorny deciduous tree growing to 27 m (89 ft) tall. The leaves are pinnate with a 20 cm petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet up to 20 cm long and broad. It has dense clusters of scarlet or crimson flowers and black seeds.^[2]

It is valued as an ornamental tree. Several cultivars have been selected, including 'Alba' with white flowers.^[2]

It was designated the official flower of Okinawa Prefecture in 1967. The deigo flower features in the popular song Shima Uta by The Boom, one of the most well-known songs associated with Okinawa. In addition, the use of the wood of the deigo tree is one of the unique characteristics of Ryukyuan lacquerware.

In Vietnam, the leaves are used to wrap fermented meat (Vietnamese: nem).

The Tamils call it as "mullu murukkan" (Tamil: முள்ளுமுருக்கன்). In Siddha medicine it is used especially for menstrual disorders and fissures at penis tip (Tamil: ஆண்குறிப்புண்).

References

1. ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Erythrina variegata
2. ^ ^{a b} Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.

• Flowers of India - Indian Coral Tree

External links

Media related to Erythrina variegata at Wikimedia Commons

• Elevitch, Craig R.; W. Arthur Whistler (April 2006) (PDF). Erythrina variegata (coral tree). The Traditional Tree Initiative. http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Erythrina-coraltree.pdf.