Botanical Name - Adenanthera pavonina

----- A. pavonina, Linn.; F.B.I. II-287. Brandi's Ind. Trees. 262. Gamble's Ind. Timbers, 287. Vern. Rakta-chandan, Ranjana, Hind. Bandi-guri-venda, Tel. Thorla-gunj, Mar.

----- A moderate-sized deciduous tree with grey bark. Leaves bipinnate, pinnae opposite, 4-6 pairs, leaflets evenly alternate, 12-20, elleptic-oblong, obtuse, 1 in. long. Flowers yellow, fragrant, on slender pedicles, in long panicled racemes, Calyx small, campanulate, equally toothed. Petals 5, valvate, cohering only at the base. Stamens 10, free, equaling the corolla; anthers tipped with a deciduous gland. Ovary sessile, many-ovuled; Pods linear, curved and much twisted, 4-9 in. long. Seeds bright-scarlet, shining, lenticular, compressed.

----- Gamble gives as the habitat Gorakhpur in the United Provinces. and it is doubtful if it is found wild in any other part of India. It is a handsome tree and is frequently found planted. The inner heart-wood of large trees is of a deep red colour, hard, solid and durable, suitable cabinet-making purposes, hence the name of "Rakta-chandan" or Red Sandal-wood. The wood is said to yield a red dye; ground to a paste with water, it is used by Hindus to make the sectarian marks on their foreheads. The seeds are of a shining scarlet colour, with a circular streak in their centre, and are used as weights by jewellers and as ornaments in the form of beads, bracelets, etc. They are represented as usually weighing 4 grains, but they have to be selected for the purpose, as many of them do not weigh more than 2 or 3 grains each. A cement is made by heating them up with borax ans water. The pulp of the seeds mixed with honey is applied externally to hasten sappuration in boils and abcesses. Taken internally, in a powdered state, the seeds are supposed to be poisonous.