INTODUCTION TO PEEPAL TREE

 

PEEPAL TREE

Family – Urticaceae or Moraceae 

Scientific name – Ficus religiosa

Common names –

   1) Bo tree.
   2) Ashvatthame in Telgu.
   3) Asvattha in Bengali.
   4) Pipal in Hindi.
   5) Ashathwa in Marathi.
   6) Jari in Gujarati.

Growing areas –

   1) Peepal tree comes form the Himalayan foothills.

   2) But it planted in all the country.

   3) It also grows in Burma.

   4) It is also a member of fig family like Banyan Tree.

General information –

   1) It is largest of the tree belonging to the fig family.

   2) It is often planted near the temples and holy places because it is sacred to Hindus.

   3) It is supposed to be one of the longest living trees.

   4) It is tall, deciduous and very fast.

   5) The bark is light grey and peels of in patches.

   6) The tree needs lot of space and the soil is deep so the roots of this tree can grow away.

   7) Lord Buddha was supposed to have found enlightenment while resting under a Peepal.

 

 

Leaves and fruit of the Banyan tree

Leaves of the Peepal Tree –

   1) They shed in March and April and in some areas in the autumn months.

   2) The new leaves appear they are pink then they darken to copper and finally coloured green.

   3) They long pointed leaf tip which helps to drain water off the leaves and dry the leaves after rainfall.

Fruit of the Peepal Tree –

   1) Like the banyan tree the flowers are hidden in the figs.

   2) Figs are ripen in May and June generally, but are also found in different areas at different times.

   3) The fig wasp are the visitor these fruits and the banyan figs.

   4) As with the Banyan, when the fruits are eaten by birds or bats the seeds are dropped and start to grow in all sorts of places.

5) It is a common sight to see a Peepal tree growing from a gutter or the wall of a house. When this happens, the tiny plant gets all its food from the air and water but uses the wall or gutter as a support. After a while, if the tree continues to grow the roots, which are very strong, will begin to break the support and so it is better to pull out the plant when it is very small and let it grow somewhere else.

 

Uses of the Peepal Tree –

 

   1) Nearly every part of the tree used as medicine.

   2) The reddish dye is made by the bark of the Peepal tree.

   3) The leaves are used feed camels and elephants.

   4) The tree is often the house of tiny lac insect.

   5) The dried leaves are used for decoration and often painted on.

   6) The wood lasts well in water and is sometimes used for building small boats.

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INRODUCTION TO BANYAN TREE

  BANYAN TREE

Family - Urticaceae                Scientific name – Ficus bengalensi              

Common names –

   1) Wad in Marathi.

   2) Ala in Tamil.

   3) Bor gad or Gar gad in Hindi. 

Growing areas –

   1) This is the commonest tree in India.

   2) It is originated in India.

General Information –

   1) This tree needs a lot of space.

   2) The roots of this tree hang form the branches to give support to spread it in a large                 area.   

Banyan tree with hanging roots

   3) If we cut all the hanging roots the tree will fall out.

   4) This tree is tall, fast growing and evergreen tree.

   5) It has dark grey bark that peels in patches.

   6) It has shallow roots.

   7) The name Banyan may have given to the tree because for centuries the banyas or                   merchants used it for trading under it.

   8) It can grow to enormous width.

   9) It can live for hundred years.

Leaves, Flowers and fruit of the Banyan tree

Leaves of The Banyan Tree –

Leaf of the Banyan tree

   1) The appearing time of the leaves is in February to March and sometimes again in September to                  October.

   2) When the leaves breaks the white sticky liquid oozes out.

Flowers of The Banyan Tree –

Flowers of the Banyan tree

   1) The tree contain number of flowers both male and female.

   2) Due to this the banyan and all the members of the fig family can produce seeds and increase in                   numbers.

   3) A kind of wasp called fig wasp bores a hole in fig.

   4) These fig wasp helps for entomophily.

Fruit of The Banyan Tree –

   1) The figs ripen between February and May and in some areas in August – September.

   2) The ripen figs are favourite food of many squirrels, birds, flying foxes and fruit eating bats and                     certain kind of insects.

Fruit of the Banyan tree

   3) This tree is an epiphyte tree.

Uses of The Bayan Tree –

   1) Because of it’s size and splendor, and the shade it gives, it is often used as the central meeting                  place in village.

   2) The wood of the trunk of banyan is not of any use but it’s aerial roots are strong and are used to                make the tents pole.

   3) Rope is made from the bark and young aerial roots.

   4) The leaves are use to make plates.

   5) Many parts of the tree use to make medicines.  

World's biggest Banyan Tree

The Great Banyan Tree

Link for more information about The Great Banyan Tree 

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