Archana – Page 18 – Spice of Life!

10/01/202022/07/2020

Fragrant Twenties (ThursdayTreeLove)

The title must have surely intrigued you.. The image above is of a young Chandan .. Yes Sandalwood.. This species grows quite commonly on the hills of Pune and even in the city. Here are its flowers which are little smaller than a grain of Arhar Dal..

Flowers

Chandan belongs to the Santalaceae family. Its botanical name is Santalum album. Another amazing fact about this tree is that it begins its life as a root parasite. The young seedling draws nourishment from specific host plants (for example Lantana, Morinda pubescens, Neem) but the hosts are not damaged.

Thereafter it grows independently.

Evergreen tree with opposite leaves

The tree has huge medicinal value. Its wood is yellowish, soft and used to carve decorative items.

Fruit

Chandan is famous for its fragrance but surprisingly, these flowers are not fragrant. Nor the leaves or bark at the age these images have been taken. The tree develops its fragrant oils only when it is about 25 years old.

Aha.. hence the title 🙂

Have you seen the Chandan tree or its beautiful delicate flowers?
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

Have a wonderful healthy happy and prosperous 2020 everyone!!

26/12/201922/07/2020

Success (ThursdayTreeLove)

My city of Pune faces slow moving traffic every day as the existing roads become too small for the burgeoning number of vehicles. To accommodate them, roads are widened or new ones built which may require cutting trees.

Nature lovers rightly protest such tree removals but a solution to the traffic has to be found. Tree transplantation is an option in some cases.

I had only read about it but never actually seen the transplanted trees.

On a particularly long walk a couple of years ago, I spotted these huge Ficus with profuse budding and a strangely lopped off trunk. A little survey of the surroundings suggested that these trees may have been transplanted for road/Metro works … The burst of young leaves suggested that the move was a success!

There were several such tree trunks all planted in a row alongside a broad path. Notice that all branches had been cut off, just the main bole was planted

This trunk obviously seems to have been put into a hole meant to accommodate the tree

The root ball of this tree had a wet cloth tied around it

A helmet forgotten by one of the workers perhaps…

Obviously transplanting trees must be a costly project and the tree may not survive the move. Plus, if the tree is really old its roots may have invaded underground pipes, cables etc so uprooting would have the ensure these systems are not damaged.

Seeing these trees was most heartening. The move seemed to have succeeded.

What is your take on tree cutting for road widening? What is a Golden Middle Solution for the infrastructure stress issues that face our cities?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world, and better still, join in!
This is the last TTL post for 2019. Happy New Year everyone and have a ‘tree’mendous 2020! 🙂 🙂

12/12/201922/07/2020

Coexistence (ThursdayTreeLove)

Anyone who goes tree spotting is sure to have noticed that some trees become ‘host’ to other plants …
I mean that other species grow on this main or mother tree either for support or nutrition – this is a normal phenomenon seen in Nature ..peaceful coexistence.. take and give support when needed and when it can be given!

Here is a massive old Bougainvilla and a Monstera growing on a Neem tree. In fact it was the gnarled warty trunk that caught our attention and it took us quite a while to identify the Bougainvilla. We had to follow the trunk like way up to the top before the pink-purple blaze of flowers gave away its identity. The carpet of pink flowers were yet another clue!

What clues do you look for to identify a plant? Have you experience the tremendous satisfaction and joy of identifying a tree/herb/shrub?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

28/11/201922/07/2020

Graceful (ThursdayTreeLove)

“We have nothing to fear and a great deal to learn from trees, that vigorous and pacific tribe which without stint produces strengthening essences for us, soothing balms and in whose company we spend many cool silent intimate hours.”

Marcel Proust

Willows are beautiful graceful trees and I saw these growing by the roadside in Thimpu.. Their drooping branches swayed in the breeze as if welcoming us to this wonderful country! They were a common species in most parts we visited and just watching them made my mind relax and calm.

Willows belong to the Salix genus of the Salicaceae family. They grow in moist soils and are dioecious (meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate plants).

Have you seen these graceful trees in your city or in your travels?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Bloghop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

14/11/201922/07/2020

White Beauty (ThursdayTreeLove)

This glorious tree stood out from a distance even as I craned my neck out of the window.. The white blossoms stood out even against the white clouds in the background. Of course, its the glorious Magnolia in full bloom! Even after getting closer to the tree, my humble phone camera could not capture a decent image (that I could post here) as the flowers stood high up on the branches.

Magnolias belong to the Magnolia genus of the Magnoliaceae family. There are some interesting things to read about the Magnolia genus and I wont like to take up your time here.. Do head over to this Wikipedia page for more.

Either way, this sighting was a temporary satisfaction of a long time wish to see this beautiful tree. I hope I get another opportunity for a closer view of this White Beauty …

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some glorious trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

24/10/201922/07/2020

Hidden Gem (ThursdayTreeLove)

I have read about Flower Remedies by Dr Bach. I will not go into details of that therapy but suffice to say, I came across names of all European trees. Among these was the Larch which is a remedy for under confident people who actually have huge potential. A “hidden gem” as it were.
I found it works magically and I have seen a great transformation in a person who was prescribed Larch.

Since then, seeing the Larch has been a top priority for me. I find it difficult to distinguish between conifers. Their needle like leaves are too high up to see their arrangement on the branches. Maybe I take the easy way out and wait for someone to tell me!

And then my wait was over. We saw this great tall majestic Larch which grew along the road up to the castle at Bled in Slovenia. Seeing that huge dominating tree, I sort of understood how it gave its strength via the Bach Flower Remedy.

First sight of the Larch

This image taken from a higher spot but the tree still towered over me

Larch belongs to the Larix genus of the Pinanceae family. Despite being a conifer, it is deciduous and the needles turn a glorious golden in autumn and can be seen from a distance. I noticed they have pendulous branches.

This image is of a Larch from another place at the end of winter hence branching is visible.

I must mention here that, at Bled, for the first time in my travels, I met a guide who knew about Trees, their botanical names, habitats etc. She was happy to share info about ‘her’ trees and even helped id some images from my cell phone. At one point, our walk threatened to become a tree walk and I stopped before my co-travellers protested!

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

10/10/201922/07/2020

Drooping Beauty (ThursdayTreeLove)

In the book The Wisdom of Trees, I came across these words attributed to John Stewart Collis ” Truly trees are beings. We feel that to be so. Hence their silence, their indifference to us is almost exasperating.”

Sitting near this wonderful Willow, I felt so peaceful and calm yet I am not sure the tree even felt my presence or even cared!

Either way, being near it gave me immeasurable joy!

Have you felt this way?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

P.S. Willows belong to the Salix genus of the Salicaceae family. They grow in moist soils and are dioecious (meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate plants). The drooping branches make them amazingly graceful! While willows are rare in Pune, I saw plenty of them in Bhutan, and Central and eastern Europe. This lovely tree was growing in the garden of our hotel in Warsaw.

26/09/201922/07/2020

Glorious Ficus (ThursdayTreeLove)

The lilac coloured Jacarandas at the Punakha Dzong in Bhutan are very famous but today I want to share a glorious Ficus from this beautiful Dzong. I found it as impressive and breathtaking as the beautiful Dzong which is its home.

Here are a few images, they speak for themselves.

Here is a small video of the tree that captures the wind talking to the leaves!

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Bloghop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

12/09/201922/07/2020

Bingo (ThursdayTreeLove)

Today, I will share a story spread over five months… a story of identifying a tree …

It all began in February when I was temporarily staying at a new area and my morning walks took me to a local garden. As is my habit, I mentally named the trees but one particular species (and there were at least six full grown trees) was especially challenging. It had a lovely buttressed trunk, glossy green leaves and round lemon-sized fruit.

This glorious green tree had me staring at it every day!

See the green fruits

I kept racking my brains, googled the images but no luck. My usual reference books were not available to me. Finally, inspiration struck and I narrowed down a possible ID to Rudraksha. The leaf structure seemed to match perfectly…

In the absence of flowers, there was a way to confirm.. check the seed.
While earlier there were plenty of fruits on the walkway, suddenly I could not find any.. Being end of Pune winters, most trees were shedding their dry dead foliage. The cleaning staff used to clear the area before I reached. .. I even checked the mound of collected dead leaves in case I could get a fruit..

Then I changed my walk time and got lucky. There was a fruit just waiting for me ..
I picked it up and almost ran back home to cut it open…
Bingo… the typical Rudraksha seed smiled at me!!!

The fruit that escaped the broom!

Fruit and Leaf .. can you see the forked lateral vein?

The unmistakable Rudraksha seed

I was thrilled and shared these images with all and sundry! What is most amazing is that local authorities had planted such a beautiful tree in a small park.

Next, I had to wait for the flowers. Come June, I was rewarded with the first buds but they took more than 3 weeks to bloom. And when they did, the trees looked absolutely glorious.. the tiny white frilly flowers amid glowing green leaves.

Have you seen the Rudraksha tree?
I have not yet identified the exact species but this is definitely the Eleaocarpus genus of the Elaeocarpaceae family. According to the Flowers of India website, a species is found in the western ghats, central and south Sahyadris. Rudraksha is revered by many and is said to have huge medicinal value.

Hope you enjoyed my story.

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

22/08/201922/07/2020

Green (ThursdayTreeLove)

The beautiful green trunk of this tree just stopped me in my tracks.. This was a few years ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Help was at hand in the form of a small board with the tree id.

This is the Palo Verde – a tree belonging to the Fabaceae family and belongs to the Cercidium genus. Chorophyll present in the bark gives it the green colour (as does it in leaves). And yes, you are right, for this reason, the bark of the Palo Verde also produces food by photosynthesis as do its leaves. I guess, this is a plant adaptation for growing in region with high temperatures.

I remember we had learnt in school that, in desert plants like Cacti, leaves turn into spines to limit water loss and the green fleshy stem takes over the job of photosynthesis (food production).

As I have said time and again, travelling is a great way to see history and culture of a new place, monuments and importantly, to see and enjoy its Flora as well!

Do you notice trees and plants during your travels?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!