Pangara / Indian Coral Tree पंगार

Hindi name · See all regional names ↓

Also known as Tiger's Claw

Native in Indian regions · Kew WCVPTreeMedicinal

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & more
Flowering: February-July

Identify this plant with SASYA

One plant. Many familiar names.

Pangara in regional languages

Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.

Recorded regional names for Pangara
Language	Regional script	Recorded Latin spelling
Hindi	पंगार	Pangara, dadap
Bengali	পারিজাত	Not recorded
Tamil	கல்யாண முருஂகை · முள்முருக்கு · கலியாண முருங்கை	Kalyana murungai
Telugu	వాజ్యపుచెట్టు · ముల్లుమోదుగ	Not recorded
Kannada	ಹಾರಿಯಾಳ · ಹಾರುವಾಳ · ಹಾರುವಾಣ	Haariyaala, Haaruvaala, Haaruvaana
Malayalam	മുരിക്ക് · മുൾമുരിക്ക്	Murikku
Marathi	पांगारा	Pangara

See the original recorded names

Hindi: Pangara पंगार, dadap
Bengali: পারিজাত
Tamil: கல்யாண முருஂகை Kalyana murungai, முள்முருக்கு, கலியாண முருங்கை
Telugu: వాజ్యపుచెట్టు, ముల్లుమోదుగ
Kannada: ಹಾರಿಯಾಳ Haariyaala, ಹಾರುವಾಳ Haaruvaala, ಹಾರುವಾಣ Haaruvaana
Malayalam: മുരിക്ക് Murikku, മുരിക്ക്, മുൾമുരിക്ക്
Marathi: पांगारा Pangara, पांगारा

The source-backed species sheet

Toxicity & contact hazards

What the sources report, with their scope intact. A missing rating stays unknown; a non-toxic listing doesn’t rule out irritation, injury or other hazards.

Thorns & prickles

Stems and branches carry thorns.

Ecology & growing context

Native status · Kew WCVP: WCVP native range includes Andaman Is., Assam, India, Laccadive Is., Nicobar Is., West Himalaya Kew dataset ↗
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Tanzania to Pacific.
Recorded habitat: Dry deciduous forests
Explore nearby plants: Maharashtra →Tamil Nadu →Kerala →

Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.

How to identify Pangara

Identify Pangara by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a tree habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Thorny trunk, bright red-orange flowers before leaves (Indian coral tree).
Confirm leaf type: Trifoliate.
Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
Confirm flower colour: Red.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-July.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Erythrina variegata
Genus: Erythrina
Family: Fabaceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Dry deciduous forests
Habitat type: Forest
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China through Malaysia; introduced in Africa, Madagascar and Polynesia
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh
Flowering & fruiting: February-July
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)

Leaf characters

Leaf type: TrifoliaterecordedA compound leaf made of exactly three leaflets.“The leaves are pinnate with a 20 cm (7.9 in) petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and broad.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Pangara itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Redrecorded

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Raceme
Fruit: Legume

Characters marked “recorded” are for Pangara itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.

About Pangara

A member of the Fabaceae family, Indian Coral Tree (Erythrina variegata) is a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and 17 other states. It grows in dry deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from February to July.

Uses

It is long used in traditional medicine, planted as an ornamental and harvested for fodder. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.