These are just some of the wild ephimerals blooming on Pune Tekdis with the onset of the monsoon. They are barely the size of a thumb nail and yet are most eye catching! As the monsoon advances, other species will bloom.
Todays plant is a massive woody liana (creeper) whose trunk can compete with that of any tree. Yes, I am referring to the Bauhinia vahlii of the Caesalpiniaceae family. Though it belongs to the foothills of the Himalayas there are two of them growing quite happily in Pune.
Todays tree is unusal species in Pune .. TheFicus natalensiswhich is a non native and lives in a public park. It has triangular leaves with a typical forked vein.
This tree seems to be dancing.. either it has multiple branches right from the base or more than one sapling was planted together.
Either way, it has a dramatic effect!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
Moha aka Madhuca longifolia of the Sapotaceae family is an economically important tree . An indigenous species that provides sustenance to many especially those living in forests.
Here are a few images of the dry flowers and those growing on the tree.
This year I managed to source dry flowers and used them to make salads and Puran Poli.
I had a different tree in mind for todays post but I just read Parul’s TTL 132 post and decided to share some plants from my home balcony garden.
To be more specific, three plants that are so called ‘cousins’.
They belong to the same Genus of Malpighia but the specific epithet is different. Hence they are different species. I am growing them to be Bonsai and they do grow as trees in Nature.
They all belong to the family Malpighiaceae and you can see the distinct flower similarity. The frilly flowers are very pretty but not fragrant. The three plants I am sharing all have simple opposite leaves.Â