Parkia timoriana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parkia timoriana |
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Parkia
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timoriana
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Parkia timoriana is a type of flowering plant in the legume family. You might know it as the tree bean. This tree grows naturally in places like Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and parts of India (Assam and Manipur). People grow it a lot for its food, its wood, and simply because it looks nice as an ornamental tree.
Sometimes, a small moth called the Cadra cautella can cause problems for the tree bean. The moth's larva (its young form) likes to bore into the seeds to pupate (turn into an adult moth). It eats the inside of the seed and fills it with webbing. This larva can also eat the tree's flower heads.
Contents
What Does the Tree Bean Look Like?
This plant is a tall tree that can grow up to 30 meters high. That's about as tall as a 10-story building!
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the tree bean are special. They are called bipinnate, which means they are divided many times. Each leaf has 20 to 30 or more smaller parts called pinnae, which can be up to 12 centimeters long. Each pinna is then divided into 50 to 60 pairs of even smaller, narrow leaflets. These tiny leaflets are only about a centimeter long.
The tree's flowers grow in a round cluster called an inflorescence. This flower head hangs down from a long stem, or peduncle, which can be up to 45 centimeters long. The flower head itself is a few centimeters wide and holds many flowers. Each flower has five parts that look like petals.
Fruits and Seeds
After the flowers, the tree produces a long, flat pod. This pod can be up to 36 centimeters long. Inside, it holds up to 21 hard, black seeds. Each seed is about 2 centimeters long.
How Does the Tree Bean Reproduce?
The flowers of this tree are mainly pollinated by Old World fruit bats. A specific type of bat, the Eonycteris spelaea, loves to visit the flowers to drink their nectar. These bats are actually better at pollinating the flowers than insects are.
What is the Tree Bean Used For?
People use the tree bean for many different things.
Wood and Ornamental Uses
The wood from this tree is used for firewood and also for lumber (wood used for building). In some parts of Africa, people don't usually use the wood, but they often plant the tree because it looks beautiful. It's a very popular garden tree in India, especially in Assam and Manipur. It's a common sight in the backyards of the Meitei community. The tree can grow well in both sunny and shady spots.
Food Uses
The tree bean is a common food in Thailand and Indonesia. In Thai cuisine, this vegetable is known as nitta sprout. It's often added to curry dishes. When the seeds are fully grown, they have a hard, black outer layer. These seeds can be dried and stored for later use.
The seeds have a very strong smell, like sulfur. This smell comes from a substance called thioproline. Because of its strong smell, the tree bean is something you might need to get used to! In some areas, people prefer the seeds of a similar tree, Parkia speciosa, which is also called yongchaak, petai, or stink beans. They might eat tree bean as a second choice if the other one isn't available.
See also
In Spanish: Parkia timoriana para niños
