Lagerstroemia flos-reginae

Barringtonia asiatica L. Kurz

(This plant belongs to the family Lecythidaceae)

Barringtonia asiatica

(Butun)

(Hidayat T., 2017)

Classification:

Kingdom         : Plantae

Divisio             : Magnoliophyta

Classis             : Magnoliopsida

Order               : Ericales

Familia            : Lecythidacaeae

Genus              : Barringtonia

Species            : Barringtonia asiatica

                       

Description:

Barringtonia is a large evergreen tree with a dense, spreading canopy that casts a good shade; it can grow up to 20 metres tall. The bole, which is usually short and poorly formed, can be 100 - 150cm in diameter. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is often planted for shade along boulevards and avenues by the sea.

Grows best in a fertile, humid, well-drained soil. Prefers a position in full sun or light shade. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant. Plants are very tolerant of saline conditions and salt laden winds. Plants thrive in the wild where their roots dabbling in the brackish waters of lagoons, inlets, estuaries and seasonally flooded coastal regions.

The plant flowers almost all year round, producing seeds for about 8 months of the year in Fiji. The lightly fragrant flowers open in the evening and tempt pollinating bats with their abundant pollen. Mature trees yield about 500 - 2,000 fruits per year. Plants are not very tolerant of fire.The fruit is light and buoyant, allowing it to float in sea water and get carried great distances, thus explaining the trees very wide distribution.

Spot Character:

Wetland plant with box-shaped fruit

Benefit:

Natural insecticide

Distribution:

Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, Central America

Location:

Zone 2 of UPI BotanicalGarden

Status:

The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Barringtonia asiatica

Fruit of Barringtonia asiatica

(Hidayat T., 2017)

REFERENCE

Hidayat, T. dan Abdurahman, E. (2017). Keanekaragaman Tumbuhan Biji di Kampus UPI Bandung. Bandung: UPI Press 
Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2019-11-17. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Barringtonia+asiatica>