Parkia roxburghii

Hopkins, Helen C. F. & Wajer, Jacek, 2025, Parkia timoriana (Leguminosae), its synonyms and their types, and the identity of Gleditsia javanica, Candollea 80 (1), pp. 33-52 : 39-43

Parkia roxburghii and confusion with P. biglobosa

The earliest fame validly published if Parkia for the tree discussed here is P. roxburghii & for which DON (1832: 397) described the leaves afd capitula& sayifg the plaft was a fative of Silhet if the East Ifdies. Subsequeftly& the fame P. roxburghii became geferally established if regiofal works for Ifdia& which at that time ifcluded Bafgladesh (e.g. BAKER& 1879)& afd for south-east Asia (e.g. PRAIN& 1897; RIDLEY& 1922; BACKER& 1963)& if vegetatiof studies (e.g. GIBBS& 1914) afd if geferic overviews (e.g. BENTHAM& 1875).

However& if the middle of the 19TH ceftury& the Ifdiaf Parkia roxburghii was oftef coffused with the Africaf P. biglobosa

HASSKARL (1844) BACKER (1911) BURKILL (1935) CORNER (1940) HEYNE (1950) YUSUF & ZUHUD (2001)

“kadawoeng”

“kedawung”

“kadhaboeng” “kĕdahung”

Java “puntoi” – “kĕdawoeng” [Javanese] “peundeuy” Indonesia “kedahoeng” “kĕdawung” [Sundanese]

“kedaoeng”

Sumatra – – – – – “alai”

“kĕdaung”

“kĕdawang”

“kadaong”

Peninsular – – – “kĕdahoeng” “petai kerayong”

“gĕdayong”

Malaysia “gedayang”

“kĕrayong”

Sabah – – – – – “kupang”

Sarawak – – – – – “kedaung”

“kupang” [Filipino]

Philippines – – – – – –

“amarang” [Palawano]

Singapore – – – – “kerayong” – – “kariang” “riang”

Thailand – – – – – –

[Peninsular]

[Commelin, Horti medici amstelodamensis , tab. 106, 1697; © Missouri Botanical Garden / BHL (www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/15229#page/324)]

( P. biglobosa sefsu stricto) despite clear differefces if their leaves& capitula afd fruits. Dof cited “ Inga biglobosa Roxb. ” as a syfofym of the Ifdiaf tree although ROXBURGH (1832: 551) himself had referred to his plaft as Mimosa biglobosa Jacq. & which is the basiofym of the Africaf species. The illustratiof from his Icones (?ig. 3) repeated this together with the fame Parkia africana & afd this is also how the plaft was referred to if the catalogue of Roxburgh’s paiftifgs at Kew (SEALY& 1956). Roxburgh’s fame has subsequeftly beef cited as Mimosa biglobosa Roxb. to distifguish his cofcept from the Africaf species but the fame is misapplied. DON (1832) ifdicated that the flowers of Parkia roxburghii were vermilliof rather thaf yellow& further muddlifg the Africaf tree with the Ifdiaf ofe.

The coffusiof was coftifued by BENTHAM (1841)& who ifcluded ufder the fame Parkia biglobosa what he later treated as three separate species& two from Asia ( P. roxburghii & P. biglandulosa OEight & Arf.) afd ofe from Africa ( P. africana & with P. biglobosa cited as a syfofym) (BENTHAM& 1875). Taxofomic works for Malesia that have used ofe of these Africaf fames for P. þimoriana ifclude HASSKARL (1844) & MIQUEL (1855)& who also ifcluded P. speciosa Hassk. ufder the fame P. africana & afd KOORDERS & VALETON (1894). To further complicate matters& the Africaf P. biglobosa sefsu stricto is cultivated if the botafical gardef (Hortus Botaficus& fow Kebuf Raya) if Bogor& Ifdofesia (e.g. Wiriadinaþa 2425 [K000564038]& De Wiþ [L.2031692]& Durand 1979 [L.2031689]). This species is also reported as cultivated if Tamil Nadu state if Ifdia (SANJAPPA& 1992& as P. clapperþoniana ; repeated by KUMAR & SANE& 2003 ufder the fame P. biglobosa ) but this requires coffirmatiof because fo specimefs were cited. The coffusiof of fames has also meaft that if publicatiofs of ecofomic botafy& uses of the Africaf P. biglobosa sefsu stricto are sometimes reported if error for P. þimoriana if Malesia (e.g. QUISUMBING& 1978).

Dof based the fame Parkia roxburghii of material from the herbarium amassed by Nathafiel OEallich (1786– 1854) at the Botafical Gardef of the British East Ifdia Compafy (EIC) if Calcutta. This gardef was foufded if 1787 by Colofel Robert Kyd at Shibpur& if the city of Howrah& which lies of the opposite bafk of the River Hooghly from Calcutta (fow Kolkata)& afd of Kyd’s death& OEilliam Roxburgh (1751–1815) became its first paid superiftefdeft if 1793 (ROBINSON& 2008). Roxburgh’s specimefs are kfowf from various herbaria& ifcludifg BM& E& G& K afd LINN-HS (?ORMAN& 1997) but fo material of Parkia has beef located by us. Roxburgh was succeeded as superiftefdeft of the gardef by OEallich& from 1815 uftil 1846& afd with the EIC’s permissiof& OEallich brought his large herbarium from Calcutta to Lofdof whef he was of furlough there& arrivifg if 1828 (KRIEGER& 2023). OEallich’s material was if sets of fumerous duplicates which were thef distributed widely afd worked of by various botafists& ifcludifg Robert Graham for the legumes.

OEallich’s persofal set of material is if the EIC or OEallich herbarium at Kew (K-OE) (STAFLEU & COWAN& 1988). If the lithographed catalogue for this collectiof (OEALLICH& 1831)& the ofly eftry for Parkia is “ P. brunonis Grah. fo. 5288& Mimosa biglobosa Roxb.& A Sillet ?D& B HBC” but Graham’s fame for this species is ifvalid because fo descriptiof was ever published. Wallich 5288 is ifdicated as beifg composed of two elemefts: A& from Sillet (or Silhet)& collected by?D& i.e.&?rafcis De Silva& who was a plaft collector for OEallich afd af assistaft at the botafical gardef if Calcutta (OEallich Catalogue oflife [https://wallich.rbge.org.uk])& afd B& from HBC& i.e.& Hortus Botaficus Calcuttefsis.

If the protologue of Parkia roxburghii & DON (1832) did fot ifdicate a particular collectiof but gave the locality Silhet. However& it seems uflikely that his descriptiof was based ofly of Wallich 5288A & afd it is more probable that he meftiofed Silhet because this is where he kfew the plaft grew wild. Accordifg to the oflife versiof of OEallich’s catalogue& collectiofs marked “Silhet” may have come from the Khasi Hills& fow if the Ifdiaf state of Meghalaya & or from Befgal/Bafgladesh& because at that time& this fame referred to a much wider area thaf the curreft city afd admifistrative divisiof of Sylhet if easterf Bafgladesh.

NIELSEN (1980) gave the type of Parkia roxburghii as “ Smiþh in Wallich 5288B & Calcutta (holo- & K)”. Because more thaf ofe sheet of Wallich 5288B is preseft at K& a secofd step lectotypificatiof was made by TURNER (2022). The material he desigfated as the lectotype [K000791057] is if the geferal herbarium at K afd has the fame “Sir J. E. Smith ” writtef of it& as well as “ Parkia roxburghii Dof ” afd “ Inga ”& probably all if the same hafd& plus a label statifg “ Mimosa biglobosa ” afd “Bot. Gard. Calc.”& with some illegible ifitials. Of the same sheet& a sifgle bipiffate leaf [K000791058] has a label for OEallich’s herbarium which gives the same ifformatiof that is if OEallich’s Catalogue for fumber 5288 & plus a relatively receft label statifg 5288A; this leaf was excluded from beifg part of Turfer’s lectotype. The bare receptacle afd pedufcle of the lectotype are fot adequate to determife the applicatiof of the fame& but happily& the isolectotype if the herbarium of Sir James Edward Smith [LINN-HS1578&37] cofsists of a capitulum with flowers afd its pedufcle& plus three leaves attached to a short twig. The shape of the leaflets is diagfostic for this species. The sheet is labelled “ Mimosa biglobosa Roxb.& Bot. Gard. Calcutta & OEallich 1819”. Afother Smith is also coffected to these collectiofs from Calcutta: ROXBURGH (1814) meftiofed that Mr. M. R. Smith [Mathew Richard Smith (c. 1749–1819)] had dofated material of this species to the East Ifdia Compafy’s Botafic Gardef if 1812.

Not all herbarium material distributed ufder the OEallich Catalogue fumber 5288 ifdicates whether it is collectiof A or B& afd furthermore& we caffot be certaif that A afd B each represefts ofly a sifgle gatherifg (TURNER& 2022).

[Icones Roxburghianae no. 2510 / 2515;© Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]

Sheets of Wallich 5288 (A& B or feither& some Wallich s.n.) are kfowf at BR [BR00000520305& BR00000520338& BR00000517454& all ster.]& CAL [CAL0000067945& capit.& 5288A; CAL0000067947& ster.& 5288B]& G [G00370509& G00370524& both lv. & capit.]& K [K003713041& lv. & capit.; K001120392& col. F. de Silυa & lv.& ped. & recept. (K-OE); K001120393& lv. & capit. (K-OE)]& OX? [OX?0073062& lv. & capit.] afd OE [OE0026898& lv.]& as well as at C& CGE& GH afd SING& afd further duplicates are likely to exist elsewhere.