Crateva religiosa

Crateva religiosa

The sacred garlic pear or temple plant, sacred barma, march dalur (Crateva religion G. Forst., 1786) is an arboreal species belonging to the Capparaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Capparales Order,
Family Capparaceae,
Subfamily Capparoideae,
Crateva genre,
Species C. rossa.
The terms are synonymous:
– Capparis trifoliata Roxb.;
– Crateva brownii Korth.;
– Crateva brownii Korth. ex Miq.;
– Crateva hansemannii K.Schum.;
– Crateva macrocarpa Kurz;
– Crateva membranifolia Miq.;
– Crateva speciosa Volkens;
– Crateva tapia Burm.fil.;
– Crateva tapia Vahl.

Etymology –
The term Crateva is in honor of Crateuas (or Cratevas), doctor of Mithridates VI, king of Pontus (circa 132-63 BC), author of the oldest illustrated herbarium of which we know, of whose text only the quotes from Pedanio Dioscorides remain (1st century AD) in his treatise De Materia Medica.
The specific religious epithet comes from religio, veneration of the gods: sacred, venerable for ancient rituals connected to this tree among the Hindus.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Crateva religion is a plant native to much of tropical Asia and several islands in the South Pacific.
In detail it is present in Asia: Cambodia, Philippines, Japan, India, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam; Australia: Queensland and the Pacific: Solomon Islands, Micronesia and French Polynesia.
Its habitat is that of evergreen forests, often along the banks of watercourses, from sea level up to about 700 m above sea level. It is also found along roadsides and fields at altitudes below 200 meters in southern China and humid river valleys and in open monsoon forest.

Description –
The Crateva religion is a highly branched, deciduous tree, 3-15 m tall, with a trunk up to about 40 cm in diameter, with greyish wrinkled bark.
The leaves are located on a 5-10 cm long petiole and grouped at the ends of the branches, they are alternate, trifoliate with elliptical-lanceolate leaflets with a pointed apex and entire margin, 5-10 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, green above, grey-green below.
The inflorescences are terminal corymbs, on a 2-6 cm long peduncle, bearing 10-25 flowers, 5-7 cm in diameter, rich in nectar, white or cream in color on the first day, tending towards yellow-orange on the second and last day of opening.
The flower is made up of 4 ovate sepals with pointed apex, 2-5 mm long and 2-3 mm wide, greenish, 4 unguiculate petals (petals with a long narrow base similar to a stem), 2-3 mm long, 5 cm and 1-2 cm wide, with ovate-elliptical plate, 16-30 red-purple stamens with orange anthers, 3-7 cm long, and gynophore (peduncle that supports the ovary) 3-6 cm long.
The flowers are hermaphroditic, but self-incompatible, therefore requiring cross-fertilization.
The plant flowers in the March-May period and bears fruit in the July-August period (until October).
The fruits are obvoid or ovoid shaped berries, greyish with a woody exocarp, 6-10 cm in length and 4-7 cm in diameter.
Inside there are numerous seeds, ellipsoid in shape, slightly compressed, 1.5 cm long and 0.5 cm wide, immersed in a yellow pulp with a pungent garlic smell.

Cultivation –
Crateva religion is a slow-growing tree that is often harvested in the wild for its various uses; the plant is also commonly grown near temples and tombs in India, where it is considered a sacred tree.
This plant is grown elsewhere for fruit, especially in some parts of the African continent.
For its cultivation, keep in mind that it is a typical plant of tropical and subtropical areas where it grows best in rich and slightly acidic soil.
For this reason it can be cultivated in tropical and subtropical climate regions, humid in full sun or light shade, and is not particularly demanding regarding the soil, as long as it is draining.
It is a species widely spread in its places of origin, where it is also used as a medicinal and ornamental plant, and near temples and cemeteries due to the profound religious significance it has for followers of Hinduism.
Established plants are moderately drought resistant.
The plant reproduces by seed, which must be planted as quickly as possible, as it does not have a long germination period, and by semi-woody cuttings.

Customs and Traditions –
Crateva religion is a plant that was described by Georg Forster and published in Dissertatio…De Plantis Esculentis Insularum Oceani Australis 45–46, in 1786.
It is known by various common names, among which we report: garlic-pear, sacred barma, sacred garlic-pear, templeplant, three-leaved caper (English); tonliem (Cambodia); yu mu (China); banugan, salingbobog (Philippines); gyo-boku (Japan); barna, bila, bilasi, cinnavulimidi, maredu, nervala, setu, tellavulimidi, usiki, varno, veruna, vayvarna, vitusi (India); barunday, marana (Indonesia); kumz (Laos); dala, kepayan (Malaysia); hkan-tak (Myanmar); kum nam (Thailand); bún thiêu, bún lợ (Vietnam).
It is a medicinal, food and ornamental plant and is often grown near temples and cemeteries due to the profound religious significance it has for Hindus.
It is often planted as an ornamental in southern China and other countries in South and Southeast Asia. Its dried fruits are used in China as a medicinal plant.
Leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten cooked as a vegetable.
The dried bark is used as a raw drug in traditional medicine systems in India such as Ayurveda and Siddha.
The decoction of the bark is administered internally to treat diseases such as kidney stones, dysuria, helminthiasis, inflammation and abscesses. The decoction exhibits actions such as carminative, laxative, thermogenic, diuretic, expectorant and emollient.
Leaf and trunk bark were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and inhibition of key enzymes of concern in hyperglycemia.
The nectar-filled flowers attract a multitude of insects and birds. A butterfly, the Hebomoia glaucippe, is a frequent visitor to this plant.
A chemical compound, lupeol can be extracted from the bark.
Among other uses, the pulp of the fruit, mixed with mortar, was reported to have been used to make cement.
The pulp of the fruit is used as a mordant in dyeing.
The wood is yellowish-white, turning light brown as it ages; it is smooth and fine-grained.
It is used in local villages to make drums and artifacts.

Preparation Method –
Crateva religion is a plant whose bark is widely used as a medicine in India, while the dried flowers are used in China.
It is also grown for ornamental purposes, appreciated above all for its flowers.
Remember that the fruit is poisonous (although it is occasionally eaten, usually roasted) and the flowers are curiously scented with garlic.
In edible use, the leaves and young shoots, cooked and eaten as vegetables, are used as substitutes for spinach.
In the medicinal field the bark is laxative and also stimulates the appetite.
The juice of the bark or the bitter root of the stem is used in decoction as a laxative against colic and as a febrifuge.
The bark and leaves are pounded and applied as a poultice against rheumatism.
The leaves are heated and applied to cure earache.
The flower is considered astringent and cholagogue. Pickled flowers are gastric.
Dried fruit is used medicinally.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://indiabiodiversity.org/biodiv/observations//240767f9-b17b-468e-a096-7916a0011153/baa5e4ca108d43fe8e5944dabe096c25.jpg
– https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Crateva_religiosa_Blanco1.176-cropped.jpg

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.