Dipteryx odorata

Dipteryx odorata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Dipteryx
Species:
D. odorata
Binomial name
Dipteryx odorata
Synonyms

Coumarouna odorata Aubl.
Coumarouna tetraphylla (Benth.) Aubl.
Dipteryx tetraphylla Benth.

Dipteryx odorata

Dipteryx odorata (commonly known as "cumaru", "kumaru", or "Brazilian teak") is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. The tree is native to Northern South America[2] and is semi-deciduous.[3] Its seeds are known as tonka beans (sometimes tonkin beans or tonquin beans). They are black and wrinkled and have a smooth, brown interior. They have a strong fragrance similar to sweet woodruff due to their high content of coumarin.

The word tonka is taken from the Galibi (Carib) tongue spoken by natives of French Guiana; it also appears in Tupi, another language of the same region, as the name of the tree. The old genus name, Coumarouna, was formed from another Tupi name for the tree, kumarú.[4]

Many anticoagulant prescription drugs, such as warfarin, are based on 4-hydroxycoumarin, a chemical derivative of coumarin initially isolated from this bean. Coumarin itself, however, does not have anticoagulant properties.[5][6]

  1. ^ Requena Suarez, D.K. (2017). "Dipteryx odorata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T62024955A62024965. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62024955A62024965.en. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  2. ^ Jang, Dae Sik; Park, Eun Jung; Hawthorne, Michael E.; et al. (2003). "Potential Cancer Chemopreventive Constituents of the Seeds of Dipteryx odorata (Tonka Bean)". Journal of Natural Products. 66 (5): 583–587. doi:10.1021/np020522n. PMID 12762787.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Semi-deciduous Forest". cristalinolodge.com.br. Cristalino Lodge. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  4. ^ "Warfarin, Molecule of the Month for February 2011, by John Maher". www.chm.bris.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  5. ^ Goldman, Mitchel P.; Guex, Jean-Jérôme; Weiss, Robert A., eds. (2011). Treatment of Varicose and Telangiectatic Leg Veins (5th ed.). Mosby. ISBN 9780323073677.
  6. ^ "Coumarin". sciencedirect.com. 2021.