The Babul Tree

 

ACACIA ARABICA

Family – Leguminosae

Scientific name – Acacia arabica

COMMON NAMES:

1. It is commonly called as the Babul tree.
2. Gum Arabic
3. Kikar or Babul in Hindi
4. Babla in Bengali
5. Karu-valam in Tamil and Malayalam
6. Baval in Gujarati

GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE BABUL TREE:

1. It is the small medium sized tree with dark-coloured rough bark.
2. Young trees armed with strong straight ivory-white spines which may be 2 inches long.
3. These spines occur in pairs at the leaf-stalk arid are absent on old trees.
4. Branches subject to browsing by cattle are particularly well armed.
5. These trees leaves are compound, divided up into a great number of very small leaflets.
6. Flowers in golden balls about 0.5 in. diam.  The individual flowers being very small.
7. Fruit is a grey velvety pod more or less constricted between the seeds.
8. Flowers of these trees are appears during and after the rains, July to November.

USES OF THE BABUL TREE:

1. All parts of these trees are useful and important to the village people.
2. Branches and the leaves are cut down and used as the food for the cattle and the goats.
3. The heavy wood is used as the fuel and charcoal, and is also used for making the farm tools.
4. The gum, which comes from the trunk and oozes out of damaged parts of the bark from February to March which used for making sweets and glue.
5. The twigs(a slender woody shoot growing from a branch or stem of tree or shrub) are used for cleaning the teeth.
6. Lac is also obtained from this tree.
7. The thorns are used as pins.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE GULMOHUR TREE

 

GULMOHUR

Family - Leguminosae

Scientific name - Delonix (or Poinciana) regia

COMMON NAMES -

   1. Often called Flamboyant, Royal Peacock flower, Royal Gold Mohur or Fire tree.

   2. The Hindi name is Gul Mohur.

   3. Mayaram in Tamil.

   4. Shima Sankesula in Telugu.

   5. Gulmohr in Marathi.

GROWING AREAS:

   1. Its home is Madagascar. It came to India from Mauritius many years ago.

   2. It is a very popular roadside tree because of its shape and the beauty of its flowers.

   3. It grows in many tropical conditions and is quite hardy but prefers dry areas near the sea.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION:

   1. It is a medium sized deciduous tree, very fast growing, with a straight slender trunk and smooth ash-grey bark.

   2. It has shallow roots which spread out around the tree and do not allow many other plants to grow nearby.

                                       

   3. The branches are brittle and easily broken. They often get damaged in storms.

LEAVES OF THE GULMOHUR TREE :

                                              

   1. These are shed usually in autumn or winter but sometimes soon after the monsoon.

   2. Then the tree remains bare until May or June.

   3. It has feathery looking leaves like many other ornamental trees belonging to the Pea Family.

FLOWERS OF THE GULMOHUR TREE:

   1. These begin to bloom in the hot season from April onwards.

   2. At first a few open and then they cover the whole tree in orange, bright red, and maroon.

                                 

   3. Four of the petals are orange red, the fifth is larger with several shades of white and yellow and bands of red. 

   4. Christians sometimes call this tree the Pentecost tree or Holy Ghost tree as it flowers at the time of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter.

FRUIT OF THE GULMOHUR TREE:

                                  

   1. The long broad seed-cases which are green in colour at first gradually become hard and black.

   2. They remain on the tree for many months, and look very prominent after the leaves have fallen.

   3. The seeds are often soaked in hot water before planting to help soften the outer case and help them grow more easily.

USES OF THE GULMOHUR TREE:

   1. It is a tree that is largely grown for its beauty.

   2. The wood which is white and soft is used for making ornaments, and can be very highly polished.

   3. The flowers and buds are used (as a herb) for flavouring food.

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INTRODUCTION TO COPPER POD TREE

 COPPER POD

Family - Leguminosae

Scientific name - Peltophorum ferrugineum or roxburghii

COMMON NAMES –

   1) Its other English name is Rusty Shield Bearer.

   2) It is called lya Vakai in Tamil.

   3) Kon-dachinta in Telugu.

GROWING AREAS –   

   1) Originally from Sri Lanka and islands near the coast of Malaysia and North Australia, this tree is now planted in many tropical countries.

   2) It was planted in east India about 150 years ago, but only came to the west coast recently.

GENERAL INFORMATION –

   1) It is a fairly fast-growing.

   2) It is tall tree with a straight trunk and smooth grey bark.

   3) It is a strong tree and can live in most conditions without difficulty.

                                  

   4) From the trunk many branches rise and spread giving a great deal of shade.

   5) It is semi-deciduous (loses many of its leaves in winter) but sometimes loses all its leaves for a few weeks before the new ones appear.

LEAVES OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) The large leaves are made up of small smooth leathery leaflets (smaller leaves).

   2) These have delicate fur on the underside.

                                        

   3) When they fall in the cold season they make the tree look ragged and bare.

   4) The new bright green leaves appear in early spring and darken in a matter of weeks.

FLOWERS OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) The main flowering seasons are from the end of February to April and then from September to December.

   2) Some trees have a few flowers for most of the year.

   3) First, rust-red shoots appear covered with soft hair and buds of the same colour.

                                         

   4) These open to show bright yellow five-petalled, slightly scented flowers with wavy edges.

   5) They only last for a short time and the falling flowers leave a carpet underneath the tree.

   6) The tree has the strange habit of flowering in sections.

   7) One half of the tree will flower one week and the other the next. The name Rusty Shield Bearer has probably been given to this tree because of the shape and colour of the seed-cases which look like shields.

FRUIT OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

                                      

   1) The rust-red seed-case remains on the tree for many months, arid later turns black.

USES OF THE COPPER POD TREE –

   1) It makes a good home for the lac insect.

   2) The wood of this tree is light and does not last long but is used for making furniture.

   3) It is a popular tree in cities as it is very beautiful and suitable for planting at the sides of roads.

   4) It is also used to provide shade for cocoa and coffee crops.

   5) The trees protect the growing plants from harsh sunlight, rain and wind.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE RAIN TREE

 

RAIN TREE

Family – Leguminosae

Scientific name – Enterolobium saman

COMMON NAME –

   1) Marathi name is Saman or Guango. 

   2) Hindi name is Belaiti Siris.

   3) In Tamil as Thungumoonji.

GROWING AREAS:

   1) This tree comes from South America and was introduced to Sri Lanka and then India.

   2) It is a tropical tree and cannot stand cold climates.

   3) It likes moist areas best.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

   1) It is a tall, fast growing, nearly deciduous tree.

   2) It has the ability to keep its shape even with strong winds blowing towards it from one direction.

   3) It has shallow roots and dark grey bark.

   4) It is also called the Rain tree in Malayasia where they say that when the leaves fold, rain will follow.

   5) The tree also has a habit of spraying moisture onto the ground, which gives it its name.

   6) But this moisture is produced by insects and not by the tree itself.

Leaves, flowers, fruits and uses of the Rain Tree :

  LEAVES OF THE RAIN TREE:

     1) The leaflets are oval in shape and dull green in colour.

     2) They can change their position according to weather conditions.

     3) In full sunlight they lie flat and open, but at night and in cloudy weather they swivel and fold, so that they lie sideways.

     4) The leaves are shed in winter but the tree is never completely bare.

  FLOWERS OF THE RAIN TREE:

                                     

     1) The flowering periods are March to May and again in late autumn. In many cases the tree flowers all the year round.

     2) The flowers are grouped together in bunches that look like balls of fluffy cotton-wool.

     3) The flowers are pink and they show up because of their grouping.

  FRUIT OF THE RAIN TREE:

                                           

     1) These fruits are flat.

     2) These fruits are fleshy brown seed-cases containing a sweet pulp which surrounds the seeds.

  USES OF THE RAIN TREE:

     1) The tree was supposed to have been brought to Sri Lanka in the hope of making good railway fuel.

     2) However, it is commonly planted at the sides of roads and gardens. 

     3) It is used to protect coffee and cocoa crops from the sun.

     4) The fruits are very popular with squirrels and fed to horses and cattle.

     5) They are said to increase the quantity of milk produced by cows.

     6) The seeds are not digested, but are swallowed and the passed out of the animals body in the same condition.

     7) In times of scarcity the leaves are used to feed animals.

     8) This tree is also the home of the lac insect but the lac produced is not of a very good quality.

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INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN CORAL TREE

INDIAN CORAL TREE

Family – Leguminosae

Scientific name – Erythrina indica or variegate

Common names –

   1) Indian coral tree in English.

   2) Mandara in Hindi.

   3) Pangara in Marathi.

   4) Dadap in Bengali.

   5) Mandaram in Malayalam.

   6) Kaliyana Murrukku in Tamil.

Growing areas –

    1) This Indian tree is common in coastal forests.

    2) Also lives wild in Burma, the Andaman, Java and Polynesia.

    3) It grows well close to the sea.

General information –

   1) It is fast growing, hardy, deciduous tree.

   2) These trees have medium height with smooth grey-green bark which peels in patches.

                        

   3) The trunk and branches of the these trees are covered with sharp thorns.

   4) They are obviously there to protect the young birds and animals.

   5) The roots of the tree are shallow.

   6) The wood is brittle and easily broken.

Leaves, flowers, fruit and uses of the Indian Coral Tree:

  Leaves of the Indian Coral Tree –

     1) The leaves are made up of three larger leaflets, the middle leaflet is largest.

                             

     2) They are bright green in colour.

     3) The leaves fall in in the winter, leaving the tree leaflets until March or April.

     4) Young trees often keep their leaves throughout the year.

  Flowers of the Indian Coral Tree –

     1) The flowers of these trees appear from early January and often continue up to March or April.

                       

     2) The bright scarlet flowers grow on spikes either alone or with others at the end of the smaller branches.

     3) Each spike has many blooms on it.

     4) The flowers have five petals, one of which is much larger than the others.

     5) The tree is very beautiful in the spring when it flowers.

  Fruit of the Indian Coral Tree –

     1) They ripen from May to July.

                        

     2) The seed cases clearly mark the kidney-shaped brown, red, or purple seeds inside them.

     3) The seed pods remain on the tree throughout the year, quickly turning black.

  Uses of the Indian Coral Tree –

     1) The soft wood is used for making small boats and carving ornaments.

     2) The new leaves are made into curries.

     3) A red dye is obtained by boiling the petals.

     4) The tree is often used to provide shade for crops or for supporting grape creepers and pepper plants.

     5) It is popular in coastal cities for growing on the sides of roads.

     6) It is also grown as a hedge around gardens.

     7) The planting of these trees help to nourish poor soil as the roots contain Bacteria which can take in nitrogen from the air.

     8) The nitrogen is then used to enrich the soil.

     9) The leaves are useful for feeding cattle.

   10) The seeds are poisonous.

   11) The Coral tree is mentioned in the Mahabharata.

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INTRODUCTION TO PONGAM TREE

 

PONGAM TREE

Family – Leguminosae                                      

Scientific name – Pongamia glabra

Common names –

   1) Indian beech in English.

   2) Karanj or Karanja in Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati.

   3) Pongam in Tamil.

   4) Pungu in Telgu.

Growing areas –

  1) This tree is found in Seychelles to India, the Pacific islands and Australia.

   2) It grows in all over India and it is planted for it’s beauty by the sides of roads and in the gardens.

   3) This tree is very hardy and can thrive in the cold as well as heat.

   4) It is especially grows on coasts and near streams and rivers.

General information –

   1) This tree is fast growing, medium sized and nearly evergreen.

   2) This tree has a short trunk and spreading crown of branches.

   3) It has smooth and grey-brown bark.

   4) In good conditions they can grow very tall.

Leaves, flowers, fruits and uses of the Pongam Tree.

Leaves of the Pongam Tree –

  1) The leaves of this tree shed at irregular intervals in winter and spring.

   2) The new leaves which appear they are very bright green but soon become a dull green colour.

   3) There are brown patches which are common to see on the leaves due to the caterpillars.

   4) In fact many insects and fungi attack this tree.

Flowers of the Pongam Tree –

   1) The stems of pale purple or white flowers appear soon after the new leaves around February, March and April.

   2) In some places the flowering season is very irregular as some trees bears flowers in summer or autumn, or even twice in year.

Fruit of the Pongam Tree –

   1) The wood-like seed cases are fairly small and a patchy dull yellow or dark brown colour when ripe.

   2) They ripen just before the new leaves appear, but remain holding the seeds until the seed-case decays.

   3) The seed is red in colour as in the fruit of CoralWood Tree.

   4) Whenever the seed cases fall down the tree is grown at that place also.

Uses of the Pongam Tree –

  1) The wood is sometimes used to make cartwheels and other implements.

    2) The branches when cut are fed to the cattle or ploughed into the soil to make that soil enrich.

   3) The seeds are used to make the oil which is used to treat the skin diseases, for burning lamp and making soap.

  4) The oil has an strong and unpleasant smell which is not easily removed.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE CORAL TREE

 

CORAL WOOD TREE

Family – Leguminosae         

Scientific name – Adenanthera pavonine

Common names –

   1) Red Wood in English.

   2) Rakta kambal in Bengali.

   3) Thorlingunj or Ratangunj in Marathi.

   4) Bandi guruvendi in Telugu.

   5) Anikundumani in Tamil.

Growing areas –

   1) It has home in India, Burma and Andamans.

   2) This tree loves the moist damp climate.

   3) It is very common growing wild in the Western Ghats and parts of the south India.

General Information –

                                 

   1) It is very popular tree as it’s spread out It’s branches to make a shady cover.

   2) The seeds of this tree are very bright and pretty to look.

   3) It is medium sized to tall deciduous tree.

   4) It has rough, dark grey-brown bark, and a slim straight trunk.

   5) The younger branches have smooth, red-brown bark.

   6) The branches usually start to grow high up the trunk and then spread outwards.

Leaves, flowers, fruits and Uses of the Coral Wood Tree:

Leaves of the Coral Wood Tree –

   1) Each single large leaf from this tree is made up of a lot of small leaflets which grow up a stalk ending with one single leaflet.

   2) The leaflets are shed in the winter months.

   3) These are dark green in colour when fully grown but they are fresh green when new.

Flowers of the Coral Wood Tree –

   1) The appearing period of the flowers are in March to May.

   2) The flowers are pale yellow and grow on spikes that look like small bottle brushes.

   3) The long stems grow from under the leaf stalks, and end of the branchlets.

   4) The five petals fold back and the stamens stand out from the flower.

   5) The petals darken before the flowers falls and they can hardly been noticed on the ground under the tree.

Fruit of the Coral Wood Tree –

   1) The seed cases, which are green when they first ripen soon turns to dark red and then brown.

   2) As they open, they peel back and twist to show a creamy yellow inner lining and bright red shining seeds.

   3) These seeds are all the same size and shape and fall on the ground in hundreds.

   4) They are called as Circassian seeds.

   5) Although the seed-cases appear at any time from the monsoon onwards they often remain on the tree until after the next flowering season.

Uses of the Coral Wood Tree –

   1) Children loves the seeds which can be used as counters for games, stringing as beads and in many other interesting ways.

   2) Goldsmiths still use the seeds for the weighing the gold.

   3) They are also ground to a powder to make medicines.

   4) The wood is used instead of red scandal wood for furniture and panelling walls.

   5) A paste made from the wood is used for caste marks.

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