Acrocarpus Explained

Acrocarpus is a genus of trees in the legume family, Fabaceae. It comprises one species, Acrocarpus fraxinifolius, the pink cedar, a large deciduous emergent tree native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India,^[1] Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.^[2] Its also known as Balangi or Kurungatti^[3] in India.

Uses

The species has been identified as one of the food plants of the endangered lion-tailed macaque during periods of fruit scarcity.^[4]

It is used as a shade tree in coffee plantations in India, where it is also a considered a species of choice for establishment in plantations in badly degraded areas unprotected from cattle grazing.^[5] According to the bureau of Indian standards, the timber is recommended for the making of furniture, cabinets^[6] and tea boxes.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: Troup, Robert Scott. The Silviculture of Indian Trees, Vol. 2: Leguminosae (Caesalpinieae) to Verbenaceae (Classic Reprint). Oxford University Press. 1921. 9781334002663. London. 15–17.
2. Web site: p. 2. Worldagroforestry.org. 30 March 2022.
3. Book: Agroforestery In India. Tejwani. K G. Concept Publishing Company. 2002. 9788170229186. 64.
4. Meghna. Krishnadas. Kumar. Ajith. K. Chandrasekhara. 2011. The response of the frugivorous lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) to a period of fruit scarcity. American Journal of Primatology. 73. 12. 1250–60. 10.1002/ajp.20997. 21898517. 26837519.
5. J. Proctor. Notes on Evergreen Rainforests of Karnataka State, South-West India. 1986. The Commonwealth Forestry Review. 65. 3 (204). 227–232. 42608089.
6. Book: IS 13622: Indian timbers for furnitures and cabinets- Classification. Archive.org. 1993.
7. Web site: Full text of "A Manual Of The Timbers Of The World". TXT. Archive.org. 30 March 2022.