''Hardwickia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the subfamily Detarioideae of the

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

s. The only species is the Anjan, ''Hardwickia binata'', a tree which is native to India, and which grows to height of 25-30 meters. This plant genus was named after Thomas Hardwicke by William Roxburgh.

Description

''Hardwickia binata'' is a moderate-sized to large tree with drooping branches. The bark of the tree is greyish-brown in colour, rough with deep cracks and it darkens with age. The compound leaves have only two leaflets which are joined at the base. The tiny, white/greenish-yellow coloured flowers are inconspicuous and are easily overlooked. The fruits are short, flat pods about 6 cm long with a single seed attached at the end. The timber obtained from the tree is the hardest and heaviest (among timbers from the trees found in India), is durable and termite resistant. The leaves are shed in April and the new leaves emerge in early May. The flowering season is during August–September, the fruits appear after the flowering season and continue to remain till May.

Distribution and habitat

It is a characteristic tree of the dry deciduous forests and can grow on shallow, gravelly soils. In India, it is found in the western Himalayas up to an elevation of 1500 m and dry open forests of Central and South India. In southern India, it is particularly found in Kadapa, Nellore and Ceded districts and in the valleys of Cauvery and Bhavani rivers

Uses

The bark of the tree is used for making ropes. The timber obtained from ''Hardwickia binata'' is used for making agricultural equipment like cart wheels, oil mills, pestles and

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

s. The leaves, succulent stems and twigs serve as fodder for livestock. Bark is found to have a good adsorption capacity for mercury and a modification of the bark is found to be useful for removal of most of the mercury from water under certain conditions. Oleo-resin extracted from the heart wood is used in manufacture of varnishes Resin exuding from the heartwood is used for dressing the sores of elephants. The balsam, combined with cubebs and sandal, is used for treating sexually transmitted diseases like leucorrhoea, chronic cystitis, gonorrhoea. The resin (not the oleo-resin) derived from the tree is used as a diuretic

Cultural and religious significance

Ropes made of ''Hardwickia'' and coconut were used to capture elephants in ancient times, according to the encyclopedic work Manasollasa or Abhilashitarthachintamani.This encyclopedia has been ascribed to the Western Chalukya King, Someshvara III, who ruled in the twelfth century AD. Sangam poets have mentioned and described ''Hardwickia'' as yaa. According to Sangam Literature the elephants are fond of the bark and sweet smelling oil of ''Hardwickia''. Hardwickia (Anajan in Sanskrit, Aacha in Tamil/Malayalam) is also mentioned in Sundara Kaandam of Valmiki Ramyana/Kamba Ramayana as one of the trees in Asokavanam where Sitadevi was kept in captivity under a Simpsupa (amherstia nobilis) Tree by the demon king Ravana.

Taxonomy

The

mopane tree ''Colophospermum mopane'', commonly called mopane, mopani, balsam tree, butterfly tree, or turpentine tree, is a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), that grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern ...

of Africa, also monotypic in its genus, is believed to be its nearest relative, and Breteler et al. (1997) proposed that genus ''Colophospermum'' be sunk under the genus ''Hardwickia''. Smith et al. (1998) however argued for retention of the name ''Colophospermum'', and Léonard (1999) considered the presented evidence unconvincing.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q2890161, from2=Q13115295 Detarioideae Monotypic Fabaceae genera