Tag: Around the city in a MH-12…

Todays tree has a small back story.. rather how I came to spot it.

I was sent an image of a tree in bloom requesting its ID. I, in turn shared it with some other tree lovers and it was thought to be the Dalchini tree. Someone shared the spot where it grows and very soon, one thing led to another, and a small group of us ended up going tree hunting.

It wasn’t really a hunt actually, since we knew its location but we did end up seeing a whole lot of other wonderful trees enroute. The Beggars Bowl that I shared earlier was from that same outing.

So here it is.

It looked glorious and was covered with lovely tiny yellow/white flowers. The entire area was filled with a distinct cinnamon fragrance. Cinnamomum verum belongs to the Lauraceae family and is native to India.

This is an evergreen species, not very tall and grows mainly in South India and Sri Lanka. Its distinctive leaves have three veins.

Though a native species, Pune is not its favourite geographical area but as I said, the city has many enthusiastic home gardeners who have gathered plants from far and wide and nurtured them. This is a treat for tree lovers and botany students.

Have you got a group tree lovers in your city? Do you go on tree walks – before the pandemic struck? Such groups are a great way to nurture our hobby, learn details about trees and when they flower/fruit in the area.

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!

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The Golden Silk Cotton Tree is a wonderful harbinger of end of winters in my city. Its botanical name is Cochlospermum religiosum and belongs to the Bixaceae family. Some of its other common names are called Torchwood Tree, Buttercup Tree, Ganer, Sonali Simul. The name Golden Silk is probably from the silky fibers seen when the fruit bursts.

The tree being deciduous in nature, drops all its leaves as winter begins. One begins to wonder if the bare tree will survive. But come January, with the first whisper of spring, the Ganer bursts into beautiful golden yellow flowers. They open before dawn and are said to be fragrant. I see them every year on the Vetal Tekdi but the blooms are usually very high up and impossible to reach till one drops down. A powerful camera can capture flower details but not its fragrance.

In a few months, the oval fruit develops and it rather looks like a Brinjal! It bursts to reveal seeds embedded in silky cotton.

Further, the Buttercup Tree has very pretty foliage as well .. the leaves are lobed and pleated are add to its beauty when in leaf.

This native tree is grows in the subcontinent and finds a mention in the book Jungle Trees of Central India by Pradip Krishen. It is on the cover of the book Aple Vruksha by Prof SD Mahanjan.

Strangely, several attempts to propogate this tree have failed.. from seed, cuttings and so on. Hence, one can see this plant only in the wild.

Have you seen the Golden Silk Cotton Tree? It grows on the hills of Pune and is still blooming. The golden flowers will beckon you from the bare branches around it! It is well worth the effort to trek up and enjoy these wonderful blossoms.

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.

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One of the ( many) good things of ThursdayTreeLove is the visual treat of Fall colours – something that I want to see with my own eyes. Maybe some day. While we do have several deciduous trees here, they do not have such spectacular Fall colours . Instead we have many trees that throw out beautiful and amazing new foliage in Spring. But more about that another time.

The Terminalia catappa is one of our trees that does turn a brilliant red when it drops it leaves. Currently this species is most eye catching all over my city mainly for its red leaves as they prepare to fall off.

This native species is quite common in my city especially in gardens and by the roadsides.

The leaves are large, oval shaped and leathery in texture. Flowers are not showy but can be spotted easily if one looks for them. Terminalia catappa belongs to the Combretaceae family and is also commonly called Jungli Badam.

Even without these red leaves, the Terminalia catappa is easily recognisable due to its distinctive growth pattern. The branches seem to grow in whorls stacked on top of each other.

I am sure many of you must have seen and admired this lovely tree.

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!

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I debated using Tree and Cycle as the title of my post today! Finally settled on the one you see. Here was my reasoning……this is a species I see on my cycle route (for unused title) and in its present almost bare condition, i think it resembles a grand Candelabra!

Take a look at these images.. i am sure you will agree with my title choice!

This is the Maharukh or Ailanthus excela of the Simaroubaceae family. It is also called Indian Tree of Heaven. It is a native tree of the deciduous variety and currently is almost bare in Pune. Very soon it will burst into new foliage and flowers. I did manage to capture photo of its leaves and they are vey similar to the leaves of Neem (Azadirachta indica of the Meliaceae family).

It is quite common in my city either by the roadside or often along the compound walls. The tree grows quite tall and is very majestic. Its branches grow upwards from the main trunk bole and seem to reach for the sky.. almost like the arms of a candelabra.

Does the silhouette of any tree remind you of objects we use in our lives? Is that just a coincidence or does nature unknowingly influence our designs?

Have you seen the Indian Tree of Heaven? It should be blossoming soon.. do look our for its tiny yellowish green flowers.

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!

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