CHENNAI: Indian tradition is known for living in the realm of nature. The positive interaction between man and nature in this tradition is such that man gives supreme status to nature, especially to trees. This sentimental attachment of man towards trees can also be seen in the names of habitations.
Consider this: Maredu milli village of East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh named after Bael Tree (Aegle marmelos); Ambala Vayal of Wayanad district, Kerala, meaning field of Wild Mango (Spondias pinnata); and Ilanadai Kulam of Madurai District, Tamil Nadu named after the Indian Plum (Ziziphus mauritiana). In Karnataka, most of the villages are named after trees, including Bengaluru. Benga tree is known as Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. belonging to the family Fabaceae.
Benga tree grows up to 18 m; trunk and branches exude blood-red colour resin. Bark is rough and longitudinally fissured. Leaves are odd-pinnate, 17-22 cm long; leaf-stalks are 5 cm long and the leaflets measure 7-9, 5-8 x 3.5-5 cm. They are elliptic-oblong, base obtuse to truncate, apex emarginate, hairless above and pubescent below. Inflorescences are panicles, terminal or axillary, up to 15 cm long. Flowers are 2 cm across and golden yellow in colour. Pods are 5 cm across, orbicular (circular in outline), compressed, broadly winged along margins, hence the genus name is pterocarpus, where ptero is wing, carpus is fruit. Seed is solitary. It is found to grow in mixed jungles and dry deciduous forests of southern and central Indian regions.
The bright yellow-coloured flowers with the mixture of dark-coloured flower buds and the stalks render the skin pattern of a tiger, therefore the name Vengai in Tamil; Venga in Malayalam. Asana is the name in Sanskrit. In English, it is known as Indian Kino tree (Kino means medicinal resin). This resin is used in the treatment of bleeding and diarrhoea. The bark is extensively used against diabetes. Leaves are used to treat various skin problems.