Common Name: Red bead tree, Coral bean tree. Tamil Name: Manjadi maram
Red bead tree is a medium sized tree with a light brown colored bark; very small fissures are seen on the bark. The tree generally grows to around 10 meters. The leaves are bipinnate; 5 pairs pinnae are seen with the axis ending in a pair of pinnae. The number of leaflets pair-5 pairs. The entire leaf measures around 44 cm. The leaflets are obovate in shape with a wavy margin; the base is unequal and tip is rounded. The inflorescence is in the form of a long raceme. The flower are whitish in color, later turn yellow in color. The fruit is in the from of a pod which is initially green in color and measures around 15 cm. The pods darken and become curved in shape and split open. The pod contains several seeds which are deep red in color. and elliptic in shape. They measure around 8-9 mm. The tree has several medicinal applications it is also used as fuel wood. The tree has religious significance. The seeds are often kept heaped in Temples. Read bead tree is the larval host plant for Tawny Rajah, Indian Nawab and Blue Nawab butterflies. The red seeds of the tree are used to make ornamental chains and rosaries.
