Terminalia Bellerica

  TERMINALIA BELLERICA

Family – Combretaceae

Scientific name – Terminalia bellirica

COMMON NAMES:

1. In Hindi it is known as Bahera
2. Belerica is from the Arabic name for the fruit balirij corrupted by the writers and finally latinized.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

1. It is a large deciduous tree reaching height upto 120 feet and 10 feet in girth.
2. The bark of this tree is grey and cracked longitudinally.
3. Leaves of these trees are clustered near the ends of the branches, large and leathery, on stalks 1-4 inches long.
4. Flowers greenish yllow on axes 3-6 inches long amongst the leaves.
5. Fruit 1 inch long, grey-velvety, pulp rather dry containing a hard thick-shelled stone.

1. Leafless from November to April in dry places or only in February, March in moist situations.
2. Flowers April to June, the flowers having a very strong honey-like scent which is pleasant when faint but overpowering to most people when near at hand.
3. The fruit varies in shape from nearly globular to ovoid or pear-shaped.

USES OF THE TERMINALIA BELLERICA:

1. The fruit is used medicinally being the Belleric myrabolan of commerce.
2. It is also used as inferior dyeing and tanning material and in making ink.
3. The kernel of the stones is edible and yields an oil used for the hair.
4. The timber is yellowish-brown, coarse grained and not durable being very subject to insect attack and in consequence it is little used.
5. The bahera grows on poor soil and in places when most trees are stunted and the choice of suitable tree is small.
6. For such condition the bahera is valuable as a shade tree.

PROPAGATION OF THE TERMINALIA BELLERICA:

1. It is possible by seed.
2. The whole fruit may be sown and if kept watered the seedlings should appear in one to two months.
3. Seedlings may be transplanted during second rainy season.
4. The rate of growth is fairly fast.

HABITAT:

• Throughout Indian and Burma excluding the arid region.
• Common except in the moistest tracts.

Read More

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARJUNA TREE

 

The Arjuna Tree

 

Family – Combretaceae

Scientific name – Terminalia arjuna

COMMON NAMES:

   1) It is also called as Arjun.

   2) Terminalia  is from the Latin  terminalis,  terminal. 

   3) The name is given because in many species of the genus the leaves are clustered at the tips of the branches.

   4) Arjuna  is the Latinized Hindi name for the tree, arjun.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

   1) A large evergreen tree with smooth bark, grey with a greenish or reddish tinge, the colour varying with the size of the tree and season of the year.  

   2) The leaves on the lower surface have usually a pair of glands close to the top of the leaf-stalk.

   3) The leaves are opposite or very nearly so (sub-opposite).

Arjuna tree fruit

Arjuna tree

   4) The flowers are pale yellowish white, small but crowded along axes 2— 3 inches long at or near the tips of the branches.

   5) The fruit is a winged nut 1—1.5 in. long, the wings usually 5 in number are not over 0.5 in. wide and closely veined, the veins not spreading quite horizontally but tending to curve upwards.

   6) Very similar to this is  Terminalia tomentosa,  a common forest tree seldom seen outside forest areas.

   7) It can be at once distinguished by its rough bark, larger fruits with broader wings the veins of which spread horizontally from the nut.

USES:

   1) An excellent shade tree and often planted on roadsides.

   2) The bark is used in native medicine as a tonic and astringent.

   3) It is also used for tanning for which purpose the outer bark is best.

   4) If carefully removed no injury is done to the tree.

PROPAGATION:

   1) By seed which should be sown so that half the fruit is below and half above ground.

   2) If buried too deeply the seed will not germinate. 

   3) To do well the tree requires a deep and fairly moist soil.

   4) It can be easily transplanted from nurseries at one year old.

HABITAT:

   1) Along streams and watercourses in Central and Southern India to Ceylon. 

   2) Often on very rocky ground where the water is permanent.

   3) In Northern India it is occasionally found in similar places having become established from seed washed down from planted trees.

Read More

INTRODUCTION TO THE BADAM TREE

 

BADAM TREE

Family- Combretaceae

Scientific name - Terminalia catappa

COMMON NAMES –

   1) Indian almond, Malabar almond or Bengal almond in English.

   2) Deshi badam in Hindi.

   3) Bangla badam in Bengali.

   4) Badamuchetti in Tamil.

GROWING AREAS:

   1) This tree originally came from the islands off the coast of Malaysia and the sandy coast of Malaysia itself.

   2) But is now widely grown in India.

   3) It likes a sandy soil and tropical climate.

   4) It can grow well close to the sea.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

   1) It is a fairly fast growing, tall, semi-deciduous tree.

   2) It has smooth grey bark.

   3) It is easy to recognize as the branches grow in layers almost at right angles to the trunk and start fairly high up.

   4) The tree requires quite a lot of space, as its branches spread a long way outwards.

   5) You should not confuse this tree with the true almond which is a member of the rose family.

Leaves, flowers, fruits and uses of the Badam:

  LEAVES OF THE BADAM:

                                        

     1) The large leaves are rough and leathery.

     2) Once or twice a year they turn bright red and fall.

     3) The new leaves that grow are a bright green but darken quickly when older.

     4) They are often eaten when young by beetles and grasshoppers and so the young trees have to be looked after carefully.

  FLOWERS OF THE BADAM:

                                           

     1) Small greenish-white flowers which grow in spikes at the end of the smaller stems or branchlets.

     2) They usually appear in March and April and again in July and August.

  FRUITS OF THE BADAM:

                                         

     1) The oval nut cases contain a nut. 

     2) The nuts are similar in taste to an almond.

  USES OF THE BADAM:

     1) In Malaysia this tree is often planted around monasteries and in gardens.

     2) In India it is also grown for its beauty.

     3) If the nut is crushed, it produces an oil very similar to almond oil.                       4) The nuts are also considered to be good food for pigs.

     5) The wood from this tree is used for house building.

     6) The tasar silk worms who weave their cocoons of silk thread from which is then woven tasar silk love to eat the leaves of the Badam. 

     7) The trees are therefore often planted near silk farms to feed the caterpillars.      

Read More