Indian tulip tree

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Bahamas, Tahiti, Haiti, Solomon I, Samoa, Tonga, Java, Philippines

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Ache(Head), Bactericide, Bite(Bug), Bite(Insect)

Science studied: EPOXYOLEIC-ACID, FAT, GOSSYPETIN, GOSSYPOL

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Malvaceae

Scientific name: Thespesia populnea

Common names: Indian tulip tree, Alamo, Alamo blanco (Dominican Republic), Anodyne, Baderirt, Banago, Banålo, Bebaru

POWO: 564713-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone

History

The source record documents this plant in Bahamas, Tahiti, Elsewhere, Haiti, Solomon I, Samoa, Tonga, Java and 7 additional places.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Ache(Head)
• Bactericide
• Bite(Bug)
• Bite(Insect)
• Cardiotonic
• Cholera
• Cold
• Cough

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Bahamas
• Tahiti
• Elsewhere
• Haiti
• Solomon I
• Samoa
• Tonga
• Java
• Philippines
• Dominican Republic
• New Zealand(Niue)
• Venezuela

Documented cultural uses

• Ache(Head)
• Bactericide
• Bite(Bug)
• Bite(Insect)
• Cardiotonic
• Cholera
• Cold
• Cough
• Diuretic
• Eczema
• Fever
• Gonorrhea

Cultural record detail

These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.

• Ache(Head) · Bahamas · "
• Ache(Head) · Tahiti · "
• Bactericide · Elsewhere · "
• Bite(Bug) · Tahiti · "
• Bite(Insect) · Elsewhere · "
• Cardiotonic · Haiti · "
• Cholera · Elsewhere · "
• Cold · Solomon I · "
• Cough · Samoa · "
• Diuretic · Samoa · "
• Eczema · Elsewhere · "
• Fever · Tonga · "
• Gonorrhea · Elsewhere · "
• Herpes · Elsewhere · "
• Inflammation · Samoa · "
• Itch · Java · "
• Itch · Philippines · "
• Liver · Haiti · "
• Longevity · Haiti · "
• Mental · Samoa · "
• Migraine · Tahiti · "
• Piles · Elsewhere · "
• Pleurisy · Java · "
• Poison · Elsewhere · "

34 additional documented entries remain in the source record.

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking to Elucidate the Anti-Dermatitic Mechanism of Phytocompounds in Thespesia populnea Flowers. · 2026 source ↗
• First Report of Alternaria alternata Causing Target Leaf Spot on Thespesia populnea in India · 2026 source ↗
• Green synthesis of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles with <i>Thespesia populnea</i> extract and investigation of their antioxidant potential against mouse mastitis model. · 2025 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• EPOXYOLEIC-ACID
• FAT
• GOSSYPETIN
• GOSSYPOL
• HERBACETIN
• KAEMPFEROL-3-MONOGLUCOSIDE
• KAEMPFEROL-7-GLUCOSIDE
• LINOLEIC-ACID
• OLEIC-ACID
• PALMITIC-ACID
• POPULNIN
• QUERCETIN
• SAPONINS
• STEAIC-ACID
• TANNINS
• CERYL-ALCOHOL

Legality

No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.

Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.

Reference images

Sources

Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

checking published revisions…