Dancing Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Todays tree is unusal species in Pune .. The Ficus natalensis which 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!

This post can also be viewed here.

SoapNut (ThursdayTreeLove)

Sharing a tree from Pune… many of us already know its fruit… the Reetha or Soapnut tree.

Read more about this tree here. Some images from the other post follow.

Compound Leaves

Reetha goes by the botanical name Sapindus emarginatus and belongs to the the Sapindaceae family.

This post is part of Parul’s ThursdayTreeLove blog hop.

I had several issues with posting on this space and issues with comments as well. Lets see how this post fares!

Tree Course (ThursdayTreeLove)

Here is yet another wonderful Tree Course.. oops.. I mean Golf Course .. from Pune.

Enjoying the trees at the course is one of the main reasons for me to accompany my husband for Golf.

You see see more images here.

This row of Ficus is the star attraction IMO. One of them has fallen but continues to flourish.

Please click here to see more images of this Golf Course.

In case you face difficulties in leaving your comments, please click here. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

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

Cousins (ThursdayTreeLove)

 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. 

Click here to read detailed post.

Barbados Cherry or Malpighia glabra flowers.
Flowers of the Frooti.
Flowers of the Malpighia coccigera or Hawthorn

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop.

In case you face difficulties in comments, please click here to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!!

Monsoon Fruit (ThursdayTreeLove)

As the mango season ends, its time for yet another fruit to capture our food senses! The Jamun or Syzygium cumini of the Myrtaceae family is available in plenty in June-July as the Alphonso harvest comes to an end.

The tree has just finished flowering and that is how it finds a place in my TTL post. The unique flowers are hidden among the glossy green leaves.

Jamun fruits are typically sold on hand carts in Pune

The fruit is delicate and crushes easily. Monsoon showers bring down some fruit that then colours it purple. Expert tree climbers are required to pluck the fruit from the trees. The fruit has a sharp taste and stains the mouth when eaten. It will also stain clothes if one is clumsy when eating!

Jamun is not among my favourite fruit but those who do like it are its dedicated fans!

Have you seen the Jamun tree? Do you like Jamuns?

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

Despite my best efforts at trying to resolve commenting issues on this blog, some of you, dear readers, may find it difficult to share your thoughts. Please click here to leave your comments . I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your patience!

Zoological Survey of India


I am participating in the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and my theme is Plants featured on Indian Stamps. This is my eight attempt at the AtoZ. 

My theme is inspired by an online talk by Daniel L Nikrent of Cornell University, USA held by Maharashtra Vriksha Samvardhini about Parasitic Flowering Plants featured on Stamps

I am not a stamp collector nor a fan of stamps. Hence almost all my posts are purely based on research on the internet. I have tried to cross check the info before posting here. Please do share correct info and links to the same in case of discrepancy. 

India Post has a very strong network reaching deep deep into the interiors of the country and I depended on it for news from home when we were posted in far away places.  In this age of smartphones, Internet, how many of us really write letters – snail mail as they are now called? Despite this , I find that new stamps are being issued and we have stamps on diverse topics including Armed Forces, Films, Personalities, Wildlife, Handlooms, Handicrafts, Food and so on.. It is amazing!

The Zoological Survey of India was set up in 1916 and India Post issued a commemorative stamp to celebrate its centenary year. With a denomination of 25 INR, it depicts a dense forest and wildlife therein. It may not strictly match my theme, but then, today is the last post, and Z is a difficult alphabet … I am sure you will love this stamp and accept my choice! 🙂

Post of India, GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons

In the same vein, here is a 1990- issued stamp of denomination 2 INR about the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It shows blades of Wheat. Wheat is an important crop in the country and our diet. Wheat is Triticum aestivum of the Poaceae family.

Post of India, GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2002, on the occasion of the “8th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, New Delhi: Mangroves” four stamps with images of four different Magrove species were issued. And I do find a couple of Z there!


😉

Jokes apart, I thought it is important to include Mangroves considering the threats they currently face. The four species are Brugeria gymnorrhiza, Sonneratia alba, Nypa fruiticans and Rhizophora mucronata.  

Brugueria gymnorhiza
Rhizophora mucronata

The India Postage Stamps website  has a complete catalogue of stamps. Please click the link to see many many wonderful stamps.

Colnect is a comprehensive portal for Stamp collectors. It gives detailed information about every listed stamp.  Click here for detailed info about Stamps – what is a stamp, types, formats, water marks, perforations and much more.  

This is the last post of the 2022 April AtoZ. Its been great having you here. Thank you one and all for your support and encouragement!
I will post details in the Reflections post in a couple of days. 
Do keep visiting this space. It will be wonderful to hear your thoughts.
Stay Happy! Stay Healthy!Â