Continuing on this e-visit to Ellora, here is a massive Neem tree. It is growing on the right side as we face the Cave 16 Kailash Temple complex. The straight trunk its vast base are eye catching.. The dense foliage hid its branching and only made it more imposing.
Here is another view ..
Later, I found that this tree is listed as the Kailashnath Neem under the Landmark Trees of India.
Going by the botanical name Azadirachta indica, it belongs to the Meliaceae family. Neem is a common species almost all over India. This is easily the tallest Neem I have seen! I have seen glorious trees at the Qutub Minar. Just proves that there’s more to archaeological sites than the structures.. We only need to look around!
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
“Monuments and archaeological pieces serve as testimonies of man’s greatness and establish a dialogue between civilizations showing the extent to which human beings are linked”
Vicente Fox
This magnificent Ficus is growing at the entrance of the Ellora Cave complex. The winter morning sun streamed in through the leaves and aerial roots creating a pattern on the ground. My humble phone camera was unable to capture the full glory but I think this image gives a general idea!
Continuing on the theme from the last ThursdayTreeLove post, here are a couple of Plumeria trees that are closer home. I photographed these in way back in May 2013 but they were still around and doing well when I last visited. The trees are in the premises of the Chaturshrungi Temple at Pune. For some reason they grow at an angle and seem to be coming out of the wall.
The gnarled trunks seem to be telling a story.. To me they convey the will to survive and succeed despite adversity..
What do these trees tell you?
Its the last week of 2018 folks. Here’s wishing all of you a very happy, healthy 2019, full of wonderful writing and reading! 🙂
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove Blog hop. Head over to see some incredible trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
Temples often have wonderfully old trees with massive trunks and huge canopy. Common species that I have seen are the Peepal (Ficus religiosa), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and of course the Temple Tree which is variously also called Chafa or Frangipani or Plumeria rubra . Usually the white flowered species is more common than others.
I saw this tree growing outside a Shiva temple located on Sadashivgad which is at Karad in Maharashtra. It was almost leafless and had only few flowers. This meant its superb branch ramification was easily viewed. The spread was so vast that I just could not capture it in a single frame!
Being a bonsai enthusiast, I was immediately drawn to the ‘nebari’ which refers to the radial layout of the roots as they emerge from the trunk base.
This would be a stunning sight when in full bloom!
Frangipani belongs to the Apocynaceae family. It is deciduous in nature, which means the leaves drop off in the winter season. This is an exotic species. In Pune, I have observed profuse flowering but rarely have I seen the fruit possibly because of lack of suitable pollinators.
Here is an image of the beautiful and fragrant flowers – but these were growing at another place. Pink and red are some other shades of the lovely blossoms.
I have seen spectacular Chafa trees in other temples as well but I shall reserve those for another post!
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!
My walks take me to an urban forest, which is protected to some extent. It mainly consists of Glyricidia sepium but some natives have survived and continue to thrive. This forest is a popular spot for health walkers on a daily basis and on weekends for bird watchers and photographers. Besides keeping up the heart rate and covering my mandatory distance, I keep a look out for the flora and it has paid rich dividends in helping me identify trees.
Today I am sharing a tree that I have seen growing only in the hills of Pune (of course, it does grow in other parts of India). It is locally called Dhawda and is a species of the Anogeissus genus of the Combretaceae family. I have not managed to identify down to to the specific name but based on descriptions in the book “आपले वृक्ष” by Prof SD Mahajan, I think it could be Anogeissus latifolia. It is a native species which is decidious in nature.
Surprisingly they are not found all over the hill forest but only in some sections.. maybe it has something to do with the underlying soil/rock which may have created a unique habitat suitable for this species. The plant grows to about 15 feet and its light coloured bark has whitish spots. Leaves are subopposite The tree becomes almost leafless in winter and then breaks into delicate inconspicuous flowers somewhere in March. The fruit is spiny , green initially and turns brownish red later.
Fruit
Subopposite leaves
Whitish spots on the trunk
A beautiful tree in whatever the season! Growing as they do in a protected area (for now), these trees seem to be happy here. I hope and pray they continue to grow and prosper in this habitat! While all trees are beautiful it is important to nurture natives.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Head over to see some beautiful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!
A walk on the hills of my city has become a part of my life and its something I crave for once there is a gap of more than 2 days. Ever since I started noticing the trees, I unknowingly keep track of them – at least those on my route. I know species that grow on the hill and where. Or so I thought. So it was a huge surprise when I came across this particular tree … Not one or two but an entire avenue as it were…
Which reminded me of John Muir’s words..
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more that one seeks”
Happily Surprised
This is the Garari which goes by the botanical name of Cleistanthus collinus of the Euphorbiaceae family. Its dark green leaves and almost black fissured trunk are quite attractive but the leaves, bark and roots are said to be poisonous.
Obviously, the hills will continue to surprise … Never take things for granted!
Have you been surprised by trees in your neighbourhood?
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still join in.
We are celebrating Diwali here in India so here’s wishing everyone..
HappyProsperousHealthyDiwali! Lets see, learn from and appreciate what Mother Nature has to offer!
This is my second ThursdayTreeLove post with the same title! Its not for lack of creativity but this seems to be the apt choice for the tree that I want to share. My alternative title for today was Living Fossil. With that, some of you may have guessed the ID of my tree.
That’s right! This is the Ginkgo biloba which is known for its brilliant yellow Fall Foliage. I saw the above tree in the premises of a temple in Tokyo and it seemed to have its apex burnt off by lightning. It was obviously a very old tree judging by the texture and girth and appearance of the trunk. Despite losing its apex at some point, the tree had developed new lateral branches and continued to flourish. It did have some protection around it but visitors were not really interested in this.
Ginkgo biloba is a gymnosperm which means the seeds are not covered by true fruit. It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, disturbed environments and air pollution. In fact, six Ginkgo trees even survived the A-blast of 06 August 1945 in Hiroshima. It is commonly seen as an avenue tree in urban areas – New York, Shanghai, Tokyo (some cities that I spotted the Ginkgo). It is called a living fossil because it is the only living species of its group.
Ginkgos boast pretty fan shaped leaves which are very distinctive. It is dioecious which means female and male specimens are separate. Most trees planted in cities are male because the fruit like seed has a foul smell when it falls to the ground!
This is among my favourite species, especially for its wonderful leaves.
Do you have the Ginkgo growing in your city?
I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some glorious trees from around the world.
Another set of photos from the Ross Island in the Andaman’s. Ficus trees are known and easily identifiable from their aerial roots. At times these from a ‘forest’ of sorts. At times they grow over and engulf any man-made structure that they grow beside or on.
Over time, the roots almost completely cover up the cement and concrete and it becomes difficult to decide if the brick structure is supporting the tree or the tree is holding the bricks together!
See for yourself!
The Ficus trees growing in the temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia are very famous and you may have seen pictures of them or even visited.
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 with a photo of a tree that has caught your eye! 🙂
Rain Trees are fairly common avenue trees in Pune. I have been told that these were planted specifically because their canopies give good shade and they grow very fast. Many have massive trunks that cover the entire footpath forcing pedestrians to walk onto the road. Some would take five people holding hands to ’embrace’ the tree!
I have always seen these huge trees from the ground up. Recently I saw their canopies almost at an eye level from the sixth floor of a building. The foliage looked absolutely amazing — almost like green waves rolling in towards a beach!
Okkk that maybe a slight exaggeration but indeed the canopies are really beautiful.
Rain Tree (Albizia saman) is an exotic species in Pune and is found very commonly. It bears fragrant pink flowers that resemble Shireesh (Albizia lebbeck). This is but natural as the two are ‘cousins’ – botanically speaking.
Some of the older neighbourhoods in the city boast such Rain Tree-lined roads and the street below get bathed in the filtered sunlight thus staying fairly cool. Looking up, one can see a beautiful netted canopy created by the multiple branches and subbranches which glitters in the sun.
I am joining Parul in her bimonthly ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in with your trees. 🙂
Going through old travel photos is a wonderful way to relive the experience. Often the albums throw up surprises – like identifying a flower or tree ..
A relook at my Andaman trip album threw up a few images of trees that have survived the all-destructive Tsunami that hit the region in 2004.
On Ross Island, we saw this ancient Tree with an incredible root structure. It reminded me of the giant Silk Cotton tree in the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru.
If you zoom into the photo, you can see what may be a strangling Ficus growing on one of the branches.
An amazing tree that has stood the test of time and Nature’s Fury.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world.
Better still, if you have a photo of a tree that has caught your eye, then do join us in this bimonthly tree fiesta!
