''Saraca indica'', commonly known as the asoka tree, ashok or simply asoca,
is a plant belonging to the subfamily
Detarioideae
The subfamily Detarioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical trees, some of which are used for timber or have ecological importance. The subfamily consists of 84 genera, mos ...
of the family
. The original plant specimen from which
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
described the species came from
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
, but the name ''S. indica'' has been generally incorrectly applied to
''S. asoca'' since 1869. It can be distinguished from ''S. asoca'' by its non-clasping bracteoles, a lower number of ovules, slightly smaller pods, and a more eastern geographic distribution.
[‘Asoka’ – an important medicinal plant, its market scenario and conservation measures in India](_blank)
table 1.
The seeds are eaten by monkeys and squirrels, and Thai people eat the flowers and leaves of one variety of the species.
''Saraca'' is sometimes confused with the false ashoka, ''
Monoon longifolium
''Monoon longifolium'', the false ashoka, also commonly known by its synonym ''Polyalthia longifolia'', is an Asian small tree species in the family Annonaceae. It is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, but has been widely introduced els ...
'', which is a lofty evergreen tree native to India. It exhibits symmetrical pyramidal growth with willowy weeping pendulous branches and long narrow lanceolate leaves with undulate margins. The false ashoka tree is known to grow over 30 ft in height.
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17484568
indica