Digital Garden

Pterospermum acerifolium 

Kanak Champa, Bayur Tree

 Scientific Name- Pterospermum acerifolium 

Common name- Kanak Champa, Bayur Tree 

Family – Sterculiaceae 

Habit type – tree 

Leaves 

The leaves are in the shape of a maple leaf, very large, dark glossy green on top and silvery underneath. In the wetter parts of its range, where the dry season is short, they remain on the tree throughout the year but fall elsewhere, with the tree left near leafless for a brief period. 

Variable in shape and size, 10-14 by 6-12 inches, orbicular or oblong, entire or variously lobed, cordate and sub-peltate, glabrous above but white hairs below, petioles long, stipules multifid, caducous. 

Bark 

The bark of the tree is grey in color and is considered to be fairly soft. 

Pterospermum acerifolium grows to a height of 60ft. The bark is grey, thin and smooth. The wood consists of red coloured heart wood and an outer cover of sapwood which is lighter in color. Even though hard and closely grained, it is easy to work with. 

Flower 

● Large, long, fragrant, white, involucral bracts multifid, caduceus. 

● Sepals long, 5, linear-oblong, hairy. 

● Petals 5, linear oblong, obliquely wedge-shaped. 

● Staminodes 5, club-shaped, fertile stamens 15, in groups of 3 between the staminodes. 

● Ovary oblong, 5-angled, 5-celled, ovules 12-20 in each cell. ● The flowers are large, creamy-white, showy and sweetly fragrant, especially at night to attract bats, the tree's specialist pollinators. They bloom in spring but are short-lived, lasting only one night. However, their fragrance lingers on even after they have wilted and fallen to the ground. 

Fruit 

Capsules 4-6 inches long, oblong, 5-angled, brown hairy. 

The fertilised flowers are followed by cucumber-shaped seed capsules that persist on the tree for up to twelve months, turning brown as they mature. They contain numerous seeds which are winged and designed for wind dispersal. 

FACTS & MEDICINAL USES 

● Bayur is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental for its showy, sweetly fragrant flowers and its large leaves, which cast a deep shade, making it a popular shade tree in its native India. In the dry season, the downy, silvery under-surface of the leaves lighten, resulting in an eye-catching contrast of silver and green as they move in the wind. 

● The wood is medium-weight, in the 540 to 600 kg per cubic meter (34 to 37 lbs per cubic ft) range, with low natural resistance to decay, thus limiting its use outdoors. Its use is mainly confined to making plywood, packing boxes and crates, and safety matches and matchboxes. 

● The spent flowers are collected in its native range for use in clothing and linen cupboards as a deodoriser, adding a light fragrance to the clothes, sheets, and towels stored therein. 

● The large leaves are traditionally used as serving plates or platters and as wrapping material for wrapping small articles.