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.

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! 

Yellow?


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!

Y has proved to be the most difficult and I am taking the liberty of diverging awaY from plants with names starting with Y. whY? you maY well ask?

Obvious reason is that I was unable to find a stamp with a Y name plant. 

Another is that, I am using the above to showcase one of 11 commemorative stamps 2017-issued by India Post on Ramayan. 

One of the stamps shows Hanuman talking to Sita under a tree. This is said to be a grove of Saraca asoca trees. Its flowers range are Yellow-orange and are extremely beautiful. Here is a flower image from mY collection.

Here is the stamp of denomination 5 INR.

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

Here is another stamp that shows a beautiful tree on Roadside. It could be a tree with  Yellow flowers or Yellow foliage. The stamp is part of Beautiful India series of denomination 15 INR. 

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

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it!

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.  

You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp! 

Xmas


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!

X . This alphabet has again been a bit of a stretch but I am sure you will love this stamp. And the tree! 

🙂

Xmas is a much loved festival all around the world. I love the Xmas trees and in fact we visited the US in winter 2021, just to see the lovely decorations and celebrations. 

Fir (Genus Abies), Spruce (Genus Picea) and Pine (Genus Pinus) are common conifers used as Xmas trees. This article describes some popular species used.

Here are some of the wonderful trees we saw.

At Myrtle Beach Airport
At Washington Dulles Airport

So its but natural to find this beautiful festival represented on our stamp. India Post’s Season Greetings stamp with a decorated Xmas tree was issued in 2016 of denomination 10 INR.

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

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.  

You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp! 

Linking this post with Parul‘s wonderful ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in.

If you face difficulties in commenting, please click here to share your thoughts. Thanks!!

Withania somnifera


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!

Withania somnifera will be on my blog for the second time.. both as part of the AtoZ! 🙂 

Withania somnifera or Ashwagandha belongs to the Solanceae family and is of huge medicinal importance. It is a native perennial herb with branches growing radially on the main stem. Its green bell shaped flowers turn into orange fruit covered with a papery sepals.

Here is the earlier post

India Post issued a commemorative stamp in 2003 of denomination 5 INR.

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

Wheat is an important component of our diet. To commemorate the Wheat Revolution, India Post released a stamp depicting wheat stalks and its increased production graph from 1951-1968. It is of denomination 20nP. 

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

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.  

You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp! 

Vanda spathulata


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!

Vanda spathulata is a native Orchid belonging to the Orchidaceae family. It is an epiphyte and grows on trees in Southern India. It bears yellow flowers from September to January.

It finds a proud place on a India Post stamp issued in 1991 of denomination 5INR.

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

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.  

You can catch up with my previous posts here. We meet tomorrow for yet another beautiful plant and its stamp!