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.
Support (ThursdayTreeLove)
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!
🙂
Canopy (ThursdayTreeLove)
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.
🙂
Survivor (ThursdayTreeLove)
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!
Stay healthy and happy folks!
The Sentinel (ThursdayTreeLove)
Stay happy tree, hope to see you grow big and tall!
Middle Path (ThursdayTreeLove)
Clinging on |
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop.
Do head over to see some fantastic trees from around the world.
Better still, join in!
PS: This tree is the Boswellia serrata of the Burseraceae family.
Mad Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)
Our guide very apologetically said, “This is the Mad Tree”. I was stunned. In whatever little bit I have read about trees and their names, I had never come across this one..
It was a wonderful tree, with a graceful buttress and showed nothing that would have earned it this title of being ‘Mad’.
In any tree, all leaves have the same shape but in this case, no two leaves are identical. This is said have earned it this name. It grows in the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden in Kolkata and is the Buddha’s Coconut or Pterygota alata .
Its an evergreen species native to India and grows to be very tall. A beautiful stately tree.
I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world.
Better still, join in!
Sea Change (ThursdayTreeLove)
The Great Banyan (ThursdayTreeLove)
I had read about two really huge Ficus trees – one at a place called Pemgiri in Maharashtra and one in the botanical garden in Kolkata. I had seen one with a massive spread in Puducherry as well.
Today’s post is dedicated to a 250 year old Ficus tree growing at the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Kolkata. The 1786-founded garden has a vast collection of lovely old trees. The main attraction is the Great Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) that is supported by thousands of roots and is spread over five acres. Despite its loss of the main trunk in 1925, the Banyan is still ‘growing’ . The authorities have had to increase the protective perimeter built around it as the tree ‘walked’ eastwards!
Here are some images of The Great Banyan.
It stands on thousands of supporting roots
This video will give take you straight to this great tree..
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Have you seen this beautiful tree? Do you know of any other large spread Banyan?
I am joining Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove41 blog hop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world!
Cannon Ball Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)
This beautiful tree with glorious fragrant flowers growing out of its main trunk goes by the unlikely common name “Cannon Ball Tree”. This is due to its large round fruit resembling cannon balls. Its botanical name is Couroupita guianensis and the species has been introduced in India. The tree belongs to the Lecythidaceae family.
The flowers are uniquely shaped almost like a Shivalinga. Hence the tree also goes by the common name Kailaspati. When plucked, the highly fragrant pretty flower stays fresh in a bowl of water for a day.
In sharp contrast, the fruit is filled with a foul smelling substance. If you look closely, some fruit are visible and seem to be strung on the trunk. If one of them falls on someone’s head, it can cause an injury!
Kailaspati is native to the Amazon rainforest but seems to be happy in India considering its gregarious flowering and fruiting! It grows to be quite tall and is an imposing sight!
I am joining Parul‘s #ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world!