Question

The dried juice of Pterocarpus marsupium belongs to the family:

• A. Leguminosae
• B. Asteraceae
• C. Rosaceae
• D. Liliaceae

Hint:

When identifying plant families, recognize that Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) includes many plants known for their nitrogen-fixing ability and medicinal properties, such as Pterocarpus marsupium.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The dried juice of Pterocarpus marsupium belongs to the Leguminosae family, which is also known as the pea or legume family. This plant is known for its medicinal properties and is commonly used in traditional medicine.

Answer 2

This question asks about the botanical family of the plant that produces "Malabar kino", the dried juice of Pterocarpus marsupium. Checking each family against known plants:

1. Leguminosae: Also called Fabaceae, this is the pea and bean family, which includes many pod-bearing trees and shrubs. Pterocarpus marsupium is a legume tree that exudes a red gum-resin, or kino, when its bark is cut, and this tree is classified within the Leguminosae family.
2. Asteraceae: This is the daisy or sunflower family, known for composite flower heads made of many small florets, such as in chamomile or sunflower. Pterocarpus is a tree with pea-like flowers and pods, which does not match this family's characteristics.
3. Rosaceae: This is the rose family, which includes many fruit trees such as apple and almond, identified by their five-petaled flowers. It shares no botanical link with the legume-type tree that produces kino.
4. Liliaceae: This is the lily family, made up mostly of bulb-forming monocot herbs with parallel-veined leaves, a completely different plant form from a large gum-yielding tree like Pterocarpus marsupium.

Since Pterocarpus marsupium is a pod-bearing tree that produces its kino exudate as part of its natural defense response to bark injury, and pod-bearing trees of this type belong to the pea family, its correct botanical family is Leguminosae.

So the correct answer is Leguminosae.