Thanks Viplav ji... I did not know about this feature of the Bhendi tree. Yesterday I made a cut in a small fruit and the yelow liquid came out ... i wiped it with a kerchif and I realize that the colour does not go even after washing!!!
On Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 6:33 PM, Rashmi Khiani <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thanks a lot Viplav ji for showing an uncommon characteristic of this > tree, I never knew about it before. I have some of these Bhendi trees > near my house in Mumbai. > > On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 10:24 PM, Sonia Chauhan <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > 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 > > > > -- > > > > > > > > > > -- > Kind regards, Rashmi > > -- > > > -- Prashant --
