Lucknow: Summer is the time when the trees are a splash of colour. It simply rains flowers and the ground is a carpet of yellow, red, pink and purple. Here is a quick account of the popular trees in our country.
With its golden showers, the Indian Laburnum, Cassia fistula, known as Konrai and Amaltas, is the Vishu kani flower. It is said to be a favourite ornament of Lord Nataraja’s crest. Amaltas has many medicinal properties and is highly valued in Ayurveda. It has anti-oxidant and de-toxifying properties in addition to curing skin diseases. The fruit pod is used to cure stomach ailments and imbalances in Kapha and Pitta dosha as it assists as a mild purgative. The herbal remedies extracted from Amaltas are described in many Ayurvedic texts. Traditional medicine in many parts of the country such as Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka uses decoction of the flowers to cure fever and skin infections as it has antibacterial properties.
The Bauhinia, known as Kachnar has uniquely heart-shaped leaves that are used to roll beedis too! The tree is a splash of pink, white or purple and parrots love eating the green pods with their tender beans. The nutritious flowers are eaten as a vegetable by village and forest dwellers. The tree is also helpful in traditional medicine to treat a range of ailments, including coughs, fevers, and skin infections. Its wood is also popular for making furniture.
The flame of the forest, Butea monosperma, or Palasha, blooms in the full heat of summer on bare branches bereft of leaves. The calyx is velvety black and the flame-shaped crimson petals turned upward give it the apt name. From a distance, the tree appears like blazing fire in the bright sunshine. The Palash is a medium sized tree with crooked, twisting branches that looks quite bare in winter when the trees shed the leaves. In spring it comes to life and in summer has a dramatic appearance with the preponderance of blossoms that come in thick bunches. The large canopy gives shelter to many birds and insects. The tree has large dark green oval leaves that are thick and leathery. Palash leaves are stitched together with plant fibres to make plates and bowls to serve or wrap food.
The common Pongamia pinnata or Pongi transforms in summer to a canopy of small, fragrant cream-coloured flowers, from its usual crown of shimmering, cascading green. Again, it has many medicinal properties.
The Gulmohur, Delonex regia, is also a great favourite and is a splendid sight in summer. It is a native of South America as many other urban flowering trees planted along city roads in modern times. Owing to its shallow root system, the tree often gets uprooted in storms. Another South American native that has found a home in India is the huge cannon ball tree or Nagalinga, with its majestic, fragrant flowers popular in temple worship. This is a most unusual tree, with huge fruits that look very much like cannon balls, with a hard shell encasing a soft, pungent pulp containing many seeds.
The large silk cotton tree, Semul or Shalmali, Bombax ceiba, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit literature as the abode of parrots, is laden with large, majestic crimson or pink flowers in March-April. In May, they turn to pods of lovely silk cotton. In cities, uncared for and not collected before the pods burst, they strew the streets with their shimmering cotton. The cotton fibres are too short to weave into yarn, but is a traditional favourite to make soft pillows, mattresses and cushions.
The tree is very useful for wild animals, insects and birds, as each tree shelters a large number of species. Tribal communities also rely on the tree for many things. Rock bees form large hives on the tree as the spines keep bears seeking honey out of the way. The tall, wide tree trunk and abundant branches have many hollows that parrots and other creatures can shelter in. The flowers provide plenty of nectar and attract bees, birds and insects. The tree gives shade in summer and protection from the heat.
The Queen’s flower, Laegestromia flox-reigis, is a very popular garden tree and is truly grand with its abundant mauve or pink flowers that look like they are made of crepe silk, followed by large bunches of berries. It is a native forest tree, growing to massive proportions in places where water is abundantly available and because of its majesty, is also known as ‘Pride of India’.
Few trees are as majestic as the Avalanda – a colossal tree that is laden with pink or off-white flowers when there are no leaves in May. It looks very much like the Japanese cherry tree in blossom, although much bigger, but is a native of the tropics. Many splendid examples are in the city. A smaller but equally graceful specimen is the mauve Tebubia with its rounded crown.
The Mahua tree, Madhuca indica, is known for the wine brewed from its creamy flowers and the oil extracted from the seed pods. This is considered a ‘tree of life’ as it provides food and fodder for people and animals. It is a very important tree in central India, where many tribal communities depend on the bounty of vast stretches of Mahua trees in the forests. This also has many medicinal uses, as many of the common trees found in towns and villages of India.
The flowers are eaten as food, either raw or cooked. They are soaked in water and fermented to produce a spirit that is consumed as well as used in several preparations. Traditionally, rural communities ferment the Mahua flowers to produce a spirit with distinctive flavour that is important in their cultural activities and social events. This encourages a traditional way of life that is harmonious with sustainable natural resources.
The fruit is a valuable source of food for forest dwellers, its flesh being edible. The leaves are used for fodder. A valuable oil is extracted from the seeds by pressing, which is used in lighting lamps and also in cooking. It is increasingly finding great commercial value for use in the manufacture of soap. The wood is also hard and durable, used in implements, tools and furniture although trees are rarely cut as they are so valuable.
Wild animals love to eat the fallen flowers and fruits; when foxes, wolves and bears eat plenty of the flowers, they ferment in the stomach, quite intoxicating the beasts. It is observed that in such conditions, intoxicated bears behave much like inebriated people!
Team Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation
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