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INDIAN LABURNUM
CASSIA FISTULA LINN
The tree grows about 10 to 12 metres high. The unipinnately compound leaves are composed of large leaflets and the flowers borne in large clusters are bright yellow in colour. The fruit is a cylindrical (1 to 1.5 feet long) pod with seeds covered with a pulp that is somewhat sweetish. The tree is quite common in tropical Asia. Read More
CLITORIA
CLITORIA TERNATEA LINN
Clitoria ternatea is a climbing vine with slender stems. The 5 to 7 leaflets are elliptic and oblong. The deep blue or white flowers are solitary. The many seeded pods are 5 to 10 cm long.
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LEMON
CITRUS LIMON LINN
Citrus limon may have had its origin in Italy. However, it is found in several countries lying in the tropics. Specialists have developed a number of strains by using genetical methods, grafting etc., resulting in the reduction in the size of the tree from 5 metres to as short as 1.5 metres. They have also been successful in increasing the size of the fruit and reducing the number of seeds. The leaves are oblong with a narrow base and barely winged. The flowers are white, solitary in pairs, in the leaf axils. The fruit is ovoid and yellow when mature and the juice is rich in vitamin C. The lemon tree is considered the champion of medicinal plants.
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BUTTER TREE
BASSIA LATIFOLIA ROXB.
Bassia latifolia is synonymous to Madhuca indica, popularly known as mahua in India. It is a large handsome tree which may reach a height of 12 to 15 metres. The trunk of the tree is rather short with many spreading branches which provide excellent shade. The leaves are elliptic-oblong in shape. The cream coloured flowers which turn purplish when fully matured and ready to drop are formed in dense fascicles near the ends of the branches. The dry flowers which are brown in colour are sweet and can be eaten. In some parts of India, the tribal folk prepare a local liquor which has a very strong smell. During marriage ceremonies and festivals this liquor is consumed by young and old alike.
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INDIAN SPINACH
BASELLA ALBA LINN.
The Indian spinach is a succulent or fleshy, soft stemmed, branched vine which grows to over a metre long. Like the stems, the heart-shaped leaves are also fleshy. There are two common types seen in the gardens: one is totally green colour and the other is purplish in colour. The fruits are oval in shape and contain seeds.
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MOUNTAIN EBONY
BAUHINIA VARIEGATA LINN.
Mountain Ebony is a medium sized deciduous tree with dark brown dark. The leaves are as broad as they are long (10-15 cms), with a cleft of about 1/3 the way down from the apex resulting in two obtuse lobes. The petioles are 2.5-3.5 cm long and the white flowers are large and fragrant, appearing when the tree in nearly leafless in short axillary or terminal racemes. The flat pods are about 15-30 cm long containing 10-15 seeds.
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BAUHINIA
BAUHINIA PURPUREA LINN.
Bauhinia is a medium sized deciduous tree grown in parks and gardens for its beautiful rosy purple flowers. The leaves bear clefts about halfway down into two rounded lobes. The flat pods produced are about 15 to 25 cms long and contain about 12 to 15 suborbicular flattened seeds.
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FLAME OF THE FOREST
BUTEA FRONDOSA ROXB
The Flame of the Forest commonly called ‘palas’ by the local people in Maharashtra, India, is a small tree which grows to a height of 12 to 15 metres. In the summer months, when most of the other trees and shrubs are dry due to the scorching heat of the sun, Butea frondosa, synonymous to Butea monosperma, truly stands out like a flame in the forest with its clusters of orange-red coloured flowers. Very often, it has a crooked trunk and irregular branches. The trifoliate oval leaves are more prominent in all other seasons except the summer months when it is time for the floral buds to be activated. The leaves of this tree are collected by the local people and few of them are woven together with small twigs to make circular disposable, biodegradable leaf plates to serve food. These disposable plates are often used by small or large groups of people during special occasions like marriages, picnics, etc.
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