Pongamia

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Millettia pinnata
• Galedupa pinnata
• Cytisus pinnatus
• Cajum pinnatum

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Fabales, it is classified under the family Fabaceae. Finally, it is identified by its genus name, Pongamia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a widespread presence across several diverse regions within the African continent. In Northern Africa, its range extends into the country of Egypt. Moving toward the center of the continent, it is found throughout West-Central Tropical Africa, specifically in the DR Congo. Its distribution also covers Northeast Tropical Africa, including both Sudan and South Sudan. Finally, the species is well-established in East Tropical Africa, spanning across Tanzania and Uganda.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Pongamia pinnata is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist in its environment over many years through continuous growth and seasonal cycles. Throughout its long lifespan, the plant exhibits an evergreen habit, maintaining its foliage and structural integrity across different seasons rather than undergoing a complete shedding of leaves. This combination of a long-lived perennial lifecycle and evergreen deciduousness enables the plant to maintain consistent photosynthetic activity and ecological stability within its native habitats.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Pongamia pinnata is characterized by a robust, woody growth form, specifically existing as a self-supporting tree. As a terrestrial species, it is an independent organism that does not function as a parasite or an epiphyte. The plant exhibits significant stature, with a height that typically ranges from a minimum of 10 m to a maximum of 20 m, maintaining an average height of approximately 20 m. Its structural development is entirely self-supporting rather than behaving as a climber, liana, or vine.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

20 m

Plant height min:

10 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Pongamia pinnata is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which governs its carbon fixation processes and energy production under typical environmental conditions. Furthermore, the plant exhibits specialized symbiotic capabilities as a nitrogen fixer, allowing it to enhance soil fertility and support its own nutritional requirements through the biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.

Nitrogen fixer :

yes

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Pongamia pinnata is characterized by a diverse range of dispersal mechanisms and varying seed morphological traits. The plant exhibits an unspecialized dispersal strategy, utilizing multiple syndromes including anemochorous, zoochorous, autochorous, and hydrochorous methods, as well as anthropochorous, endozoochorous, epizoochorous, and myrmecochorous pathways. Notably, the primary dispersal syndrome is identified as hydrochorous, indicating that water plays a significant role in the movement of its progeny. The seeds produced by the species show considerable variation in size and weight; individual seed mass ranges from a minimum of 0.476569 g to a maximum of 4.39715 g, with an overall mean seed mass of approximately 1.969472714 g.

Dispersal syndrome :

hydrochorous

Seed mass max:

4.39715 g

Seed mass mean:

1.969472714 g

Seed mass min:

0.476569 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Pongamia pinnata has 6 reported plant parts identified across 22 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, seed, root, stem, flower.

Leaf

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
3. Bioinformation
4. 3 Biotech
5. Science progress

Seed

1. Bioinformation
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts
4. Indian journal of experimental biology
5. Journal of molecular recognition : JMR

Root

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Indian journal of experimental biology

Stem

1. Journal of natural products
2. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Flower

1. Microbial pathogenesis

Fruit

1. Phytochemistry

Chemicals

Pongamia pinnata has 33 reported phytochemicals identified across 22 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Karanjin, CHLOROFORM, Flavonoid, PETROLEUM ETHER, Pongamol.

Karanjin

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
3. Archives of virology
4. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

CHLOROFORM

1. Indian journal of experimental biology
2. The Korean journal of parasitology

Flavonoid

1. Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts
2. Journal of natural products

PETROLEUM ETHER

1. Indian journal of experimental biology
2. The Korean journal of parasitology

Pongamol

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Pongapin

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry
2. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Bis(2-methylheptyl)phthalate

1. Virus research

Chalcone

1. Journal of natural products

FLAVONE

1. Journal of natural products

Fatty acids

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Activities

Pongamia pinnata has 25 reported activities identified across 22 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antiplasmodial.

Antimicrobial

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. 3 Biotech
3. Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antioxidant

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. 3 Biotech
3. Pharmacognosy magazine
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Microbial pathogenesis
3. Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. 3 Biotech

Antiplasmodial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of medical microbiology

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Microbial pathogenesis

Analgesic

1. Indian journal of experimental biology

Anthelmintic

1. Dr. Duke

AntiHIV

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Pongamia pinnata has 31 reported investigations on conditions identified across 22 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include HIV-1, Hepatitis B virus, MRSA, Parkinson's disease, Streptococcus mutans.

Hiv-1

1. Bioinformation

Hepatitis b virus

1. Bioinformation

Mrsa

1. Ancient science of life

Parkinson's disease

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Streptococcus mutans

1. Pharmacognosy magazine

White spot syndrome virus

1. Virus research

Antioxidant

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Antiseptic

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Blood coagulation

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology

Breast cancer

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Preparations

Pongamia pinnata has 25 reported preparations identified across 22 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include leaf extract, oil, 50% EtOH syrup of the bark, Aqueous extracts from leaf, Aqueous extracts from roots.

Leaf extract

1. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
2. Toxicology mechanisms and methods

Oil

1. Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine
2. Journal of environmental management

50% etoh syrup of the bark

1. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Aqueous extracts from leaf

1. Bioinformation

Aqueous extracts from roots

1. Bioinformation

Aqueous extracts from seed

1. Bioinformation

Ethanolic extract of pongamia pinnata (ppet) leaves

1. Toxicology mechanisms and methods

Aqueous extracts

1. Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences

Aqueous extracts of the seed coat

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Chewing sticks/toothbrushes

1. Pharmacognosy magazine