Indian Elm

Pongamia pinnata

Also known as Pongam oil tree, Indian beech wood tree

TreeMedicinal

About Indian Elm

Pongamia pinnata is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. It is the sole species in genus Pongamia. It is often known by the synonym Millettia pinnata. Its common names include Indian beech, Karanja, and Pongame oiltree.

Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Pongamia pinnata
Genus: Pongamia
Family: FABACEAE
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Deciduous forests, also planted as avenue tree
Native to: Southern and Eastern Asia, Australia
Distribution: Indo-Himalayas, Sri lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Northern Australia, Polynesia, Mascarene Islands, Micronesia
Flowering & fruiting: April-December
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)

Local Names

Hindi: कलिंग Kalinga, करंज Karanj, नक्तमाल Naktmal
Nepali: करेंगी Karengi, कद्जा Kadzaa, करन्ज Karanj
Bengali: করঞ্জ Karanja
Tamil: ஆசிருந்தம் Aciruntam, ஆகிரந்தம் Akirantam, ஆலம் Alam
Telugu: కాడెపుతీగ Kaadeputhige, కానుగ చెట్టు Kaanuga Chettu, కగ్గెర Kaggera
Kannada: ಹೊಂಗೆ ಮರ Honge Mara, ಹುಲಿಗಿಲಿ ಮರ Huligili Mara, ಕರಂಜ Karanja
Malayalam: പൊങ്ങം Pongam, പുങ്ങു Pungu
Marathi: करंज Karanj

Botanical family

Fabaceae

Legume/Bean family

Indian Elm belongs to the Fabaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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