Yellow flametree - Peltophorum pterocarpum

Common Name :	Copperpod, Yellow flametree, etc.
Botanical Name :	Peltophorum pterocarpum
Family :	Fabaceae
Bangla Name :	Konokchura (কনকচূড়া), Shornochura (স্বর্ণচূড়া).
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

Botanical name of the plant is Peltophorum pterocarpum. It belongs to the plant family Fabaceae. This plant is native to Sri Lanka, Southeastern Asia and other tropical region. I am not sure about outside Dhaka, but we see this plenty at the roadside of our Dhaka city.

In Bengali we call this as Konokchura, Shornochura, etc. The Bengali name Konokchura was given by Professor Dizen Sharma. Common names of the plant are Copperpod, Yellow flametree, etc.

Yellow flametree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) is a deciduous tree that can reach easily around 40 feet in height. Plant spread and grows as a shape of umbrella or crown. Leafs are fern like bipinnate (twice compound). Leaf contains up to 20 pairs of leaflets. Tree gets leafless during the winter and brings new leafs during spring.

Yellow flametree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) brings numerous showy flowers on the tree during summer (April-May in Bangladesh). Color of the flower is yellow and as a result the tree uses to get covered with yellow that time. This is the reason to call this plant as Yellow flametree. Flower blooms as a cluster. Flower buds are round shaped and having a color of copper.

Flower has five petals. Each of the yellow petals are having a brownish or copper colored mark at the base. Petals are crinkled and crappy. Flowers have a mild fragrance. Flower attracts lot of bees and small birds with its color and nectar.

As the Yellow flametree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) plant bears a lot of flowers, subsequently they convert into small pod like fruits as well. Fruit pods are having a color of copper. That's why probably it is named as Copperpod. The tree can contain flower and fruit at the same time.

This plant is mostly uses as an ornamental. Specially beside the roadsides or at gardens.

Shower of fruit pods on a Yellow flametree (Peltophorum pterocarpum).

Photos of Yellow flametree (Peltophorum pterocarpum) were taken from the following places of Bangladesh:
1) April 2014: Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
2) May 2015: Fruits from Dhanmondi, Dhaka.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icflora.blogspot.com/