Botany
The national tree is a majestic reddish hard wood tree; big and growing to 33 meters nigh and 2 meters in diameter with an irregular fluted trunk. Leaves are compound, pinate, 15 to 30 cms long, ovate to elliptic in shape, with 5 to 9 leaflets per leaf.. Flowers February to May, numerous, in clusters, yellow and fragrant. Fruit is disc-shaped, flat, with winged margins.

A valuable timber for house construction and furniture making; noted for its hardiness and rapid growth. Grows well in bottom lands, wind-firm and less susceptible to disease and pests.

Distribution
Grown from seeds and cuttings.
Found in calcareous soil. Grows well in bottom lands.

Parts utilized:
Leaves, roots, bark

Constituents and Properties
Nitrogen-fixing.
Considered antibacterial, anti-bilous, emetic.
Yields "kino," containing kinotannic acid.
Wood contains red coloring constituents: narrin, santalin and angolensin.
Narri , a dark red amorphous powder, yield phloroglucinol and resorcinol. (source)

Uses
Folkloric
- Young leaves and flowers are reportedly edible; the flowers, a source of honey.
- Infusion of the leaf used as shampoo.
- Used for bladder ailments, diarrhea, headache, stones, sores and dropsy.
- The young leaves applied to boils, prickly heat and ulcers.
- Decoction used as a gargle for sore throats; as an astringent; as a mouthwash for toothaches.
- Used to dissolve vesical calculi.
- The resin "kino" has similar actions as tannin and catechu. It is taken for its astringent effect in chronic diarrhea, leucorrhea, blenorrhea and hemorrhages. Used as a solution for enemas for prolapse of the rectum and anal fissure.
- Red latex used for tumors, cancers and warts.
- Malays used the resin for buccal sores.
Others
- A source of red dye and a gum.
- Old narra is a much sought-after wood for its durability and use in floorings, furniture making, and decorative carvings.

Studies
- Immune Enhancing / Anti-Asthma: Composition and method for the prevention and treatment of asthma: The root, bark and wood of Pterocarpus indicus (Philippine Narra tree) is a component in a pharmaceutical formulation touted to be immune enhancing and purpurted use for the prevention and treatment of asthma.
• Polyphenolic Antiplasmin Constituent / Anti-Cancer: A Bioactive Polyphenolic Constituent in the Bark of Pterocarpus indicus, Willd. I. Isolation and Characterization: A polyphenolic substance with antiplasmin activity was isolated from the bark of P indicus. The substance showed carcinostatic effect on ascitic mice with Erlich carcinoma.
• In vitro anthelmintic, antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of extracts from plants used in South African ethnoveterinary medicine. Antibacterial activity of Pterocarpus indicus, Fitoterapia 74 (2003), pp. 603–605.
- Antifungal Sesquiterpene: Study isolated an antifungal compound in the methanolic extract of amboyna wood. It was identified as a B-eudesmol, a sesquiterpene alcohol and showed dose-dependent antifungal activity against P pulmonarius.

Availability
Wild-crafted.