Tecomella undulata (Sm.) Seem.
الفرفار، فرفار
For people
- Eaten by people
- Unknown
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Good fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Not toxic
Edibility and safety notes
No reliable record was found of any part being eaten as food; the only reported human intake is a medicinal tea made from the flowers in Pakistan, so do not treat it as edible. Its safety for people is not established: the bark is used traditionally as an abortifacient and the plant contains lapachol, so pregnant women in particular should avoid home remedies made from it. Livestock (camels, goats, cattle) browse the leaves and it is rated good fodder, with no poisoning reported. The tree is globally endangered and should not be cut or stripped.
This guide is a hobby project, not expert advice. Never eat a wild plant, or feed it to animals, on the strength of this page alone. Read the disclaimer
Description
A deciduous to nearly evergreen large shrub or small tree, 3-4 m tall in Oman and reported to reach 4-10 m elsewhere, with a stout trunk, rough bark and drooping branches. Leaves simple, opposite, narrowly oblong, 3-7 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, leathery, entire with wavy margins. Flowers large and showy, funnel-shaped, 4-7 cm long, yellow to light orange or reddish. Fruit a slender capsule 17-30 cm long containing winged seeds. Flowers January to May.
Habitat
Basins in some of the large wadis, around villages and falaj channels, on abandoned farmland and on hill slopes in the northern mountains of Oman; a tree of hot, dry climates with low rainfall.
Distribution
Oman (northern mountains) and from south-west Iran through Afghanistan and southern Pakistan to north-west India, where it is the main native timber tree of the Rajasthan desert.
Pastoral value
Good fodder: camels, goats and cattle browse the leaves.
Other uses
In Oman the root is used for knife handles and rifle stocks and for the wooden parts that secure camel saddles, the strong straight trunks for traditional drums, and the dry wood for fuel; the tree is also planted as an ornamental and its flowers feed insects. In India it is a valued timber ('desert teak') for furniture and carving. Traditionally used in Ayurvedic and folk medicine for liver, skin and inflammatory complaints.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.52)
- Frontiers in Pharmacology 2025 (PMC12665970) - Ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, pharmacological and conservation studies of desert teak, Tecomella undulata — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Wikipedia - Tecomella — en.wikipedia.org
- LUMS Biodiversity - Tecoma undulata (leaves used as fodder for goats and cattle) — biodiversity.lums.edu.pk