Indian screw tree (Helicteres isora)
Description
Helicteres isora, sometimes called the Indian screw tree, is a species of small tree or large shrub found in Asia including Indian Subcontinent, South China, Malay Peninsula, Java and Saudi Arabia. Also, found in Australia. The red flowers are pollinated mainly by birds of the sunbird family. It possesses an impressive range of nutritional and medicinal properties. Fibres from the bark are used to make rope. They are also visited by many butterflies and hymenoptera. Large shrub or small tree (5–8 m in height) with grey bark and alternately arranged hairy, ovate shaped leaves with serrate margins. Flower are brick red or orange-red in color. Fruits are compound pod, twisted like screw with pointed end, signifying the name “Indian Screw Tree”. Raw fruits are greenish in color, brown or grey when dried. Seeds are black-brown, highly polished, roughly rhomboid, rectangle or triangular in shape. The pollinators of the flower include Jungle babbler, Golden-fronted leafbird, Ashy drongo, White-bellied drongo. It is a tropical Asian shrub or medium-sized tree. The shrub/plant is found all throughout India from Punjab to Bengal; Jammu to South India and Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. However, it gregariously grows in dry deciduous forests of central and western India up to 1500m on the hill slopes. It is also found in Malay Peninsula, Java, Australia.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malvales
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Family: Malvaceae
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Genus: Helicteres
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