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Hardwickia is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the subfamily Detarioideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The only species is the anjan, Hardwickia binata, a tree which is native to India and Bangladesh, and which grows to height of 25-30 meters.Note: Archive not available until mid-2013. This plant genus was named after Thomas Hardwicke by William Roxburgh.
The timber obtained from Hardwickia binata is used for making agricultural equipment like cart wheels, , and .
The leaves, succulent stems, and twigs serve as fodder for livestock.
The bark is found to have a good adsorption capacity for mercury, and a modification of the bark is found to be useful for the removal of mercury from water under certain conditions.
Oleo-resin extracted from the heart wood is used in manufacture of varnishes.
Resin exuding from the heartwood is used for dressing the sores of elephants.
The balsam, combined with cubebs and sandal, is used for treating sexually transmitted diseases like leucorrhoea, chronic cystitis, and gonorrhoea.
The resin (not the oleo-resin) derived from the tree is used as a diuretic
Sangam poets have mentioned and described Hardwickia as yaa. According to Sangam Literature, the elephants are fond of the bark and sweet-smelling oil of Hardwickia. Hardwickia (Anajan in Sanskrit, Aacha in Tamil/Malayalam) is also mentioned in Sundara Kaandam of Valmiki Ramyana/Kamba Ramayana as one of the trees in Asokavanam where Sitadevi was kept in captivity under a Simpsupa ( Amherstia nobilis) tree by the demon king Ravana.
Cultural and religious significance
Ropes made of Hardwickia and coconut were used to capture elephants in ancient times, according to the encyclopedic work Manasollasa or Abhilashitarthachintamani.This encyclopedia has been ascribed to the Western Chalukya King, Someshvara III, who ruled in the twelfth century AD.http://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:U3Xv-_ZGI98J:scholar.google.com/+On+Elephants+in+Manasollasa%E2%80%931.+Characteristics,+Habitat,+Methods+of+Capturing+and+Training&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
Taxonomy
The mopane tree of Africa, also monotypic in its genus, is believed to be its nearest relative, and Breteler et al. (1997) proposed that genus Colophospermum be sunk under the genus Hardwickia. Smith et al. (1998) however argued for retention of the name Colophospermum, and Léonard (1999) considered the presented evidence unconvincing.
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