Narra

A mighty national tree with reddish wood, from which the most valuable Filipino furniture was made.

Narra is a large tree of the legume family, growing to 30–40 m, with a broad, spreading crown and often massive buttress roots. Several times a year it is briefly smothered in a mass of small, yellow, honey-scented flowers that drop after a day or two. It bears flat, round, winged pods. Its hard, termite-resistant wood, with a reddish tint and beautiful grain, is among the most valuable in Asia, which is why the species has been heavily depleted.

Significance in the country

Narra was proclaimed the national tree in 1934, together with sampaguita. Thanks to its hardness and durability it symbolises the strength and resilience of the Filipino people; felling it in the wild is now banned, and the tree is widely planted in towns and cities.

Where it grows

Throughout the country – wild in lowland and riverside forests on all the larger islands, and planted as an avenue and park tree in Manila and other cities.

More: Wikipedia (en)