Excellent post! Often we tend to dismiss the widespread trees with a passing glance, so it is fascinating to learn something so interesting about a common tree. Thanks Viplav for sharing these remarkable observations.
On 10 December 2012 12:34, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sharing some fresh insights into one of the commonest trees in and around > Mumbai. On a recent visit to a tribal hamlet in Dahanu, I encountered some > natives collecting the fruit of Thespesia populnea. On probing further, one > of them slashed a young green fruit and it discharged a copious amount of > rich yellow juice that is used as a decorative pigment; in this case, to > paint the hooves of their cattle! Later, while discussing this with a senior > Warli musician and artist, I learnt that this pigment is used occasionally in > minor embellishments. > > Further investigation revealed that this substance is gossypol. While > The Trees of Mumbai (by Almeida & Chaturvedi, pg. 159) mentions that "the > seeds contain a chemical called gossypol", the yellow exudate from the fruit > wall appears to be discounted in customary descriptions of this tree. Here is > an interesting account of this facet in a paper on this species by Francis > Raymond Fosberg & Marie-Hélène Sachet: > > "When a bud or young fruit is cut transversally a copious yellow, gummy fluid > exudes from the surfaces. We had not seen this mentioned before, nor were we > aware of latex in any Malvaceae. Roxburgh, however, mentioned it in his > discussion of Thespesia (as Hibiscus) in the Flora Indica, 1832 (vide infra); > a label on a plant collected by Lt. Speke on Europa Island (P) also describes > the appearance of a canary-colored juice on cutting a green fruit ... Dr. > Paul Fryxell (in litt.) tells us that this yellow substance is mostly > gossypol. It probably should not be called latex in the strict sense." - > Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, Volume 7, 1972. > > Didn't have a camera on hand but have attached a mobile phone snapshot. > > Best wishes, Viplav > > -- > > > -- Regards, Sonia Chauhan --
