Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre Main specimen
Fabaceae
{ Nomenclature }

  • Botanical name : Pongamia pinnata
  • Author :

    Pierre, Jean Baptiste Louis

  • Family : Fabaceae
  • English names : Indian beech
  • Indian names (phonetics) :

    Hindi : Karanj, karanja
    Kannada : Hongemara
    Malayalam : Pongam, ponnu, unnamaram
    Marathi : Karanj, kidamar
    Sanskrit : Karanjah, naktamla
    Tamil : Pungan
    Telugu : Kanugacettu, kranuga

  • Synonyms :

    Cajum pinnatum (L.) Kuntze
    Cytisus pinnatus L.
    Dalbergia arborea Willd.
    Derris indica (Lam.) Benn.
    Galedupa indica Lam.
    Galedupa pinnata (L.) Taub.
    Galedupa pungum J.G.Gmel.
    Millettia novo-guineensis Kaneh. & Hatus.
    Millettia pinnata (L.) Panigrahi
    Pongamia glabra Vent.
    Pongamia glabra var. xerocarpa (Hassk.) Prain
    Pongamia mitis (L.) Kurz
    Pongamia mitis var. xerocarpa (Hassk.) Merr.
    Pongamia pinnata var. xerocarpa (Hassk.) Alston
    Pongamia xerocarpa Hassk.
    Pterocarpus flavus Lour.
    Robinia mitis L.
    (Source : The Plant List, 2015, http://www.theplantlist.org)

  • Etymology :

    -Pongamia : Pongam is one of the vernacular Malabar names for the speices (Kerala, south western India).
    -Pinnata : Pinnate, from the Latin pinna "feather" and pinnatus "feathered". In reference to the pinnate leaves of the tree (with two opposite ranks of leaflets).