Twin Trunk (ThursdayTreeLove)

Pune has a few really old trees.. I have shared some on my previous posts. 
Here is one more. 

A grand old Baobab that seems to have a twin trunk. Or is it two trees growing side by side?

Difficult to tell really. It is easily visible from the road through the wire fence and I did not try to go inside to get a closer look. 

Its already in full foliage after its winter leaf fall and flowering thereafter. The digitate leaves form a glorious green canopy and looking down, one can see faded flowers and early fruit.

Here is the wonderful Adansonia digitata of the Malvaceae family. Its originally from Africa but seems very happy here in India. The feeling is mutual as we call it 'Gorakh Chincha' in marathi.. chincha is Tamarind!

Flower - this image taken earlier from another tree 

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Head over to see wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

 

Cool Green (ThursdayTreeLove)

Today I have a tree that most would know.. folks from India at least. 

Its the Tamarind (Tamarindus indica ) of the Fabaceae family. It drops all its leaves in December or January and bursts into new foliage soon after. In the intense summer heat, the Tamarind flaunts fresh green leaves that offer a cool respite to any and everyone. 

The feathery leaves are very pretty as are the yellow flowers that appear once it rains. I am told the flowers make an excellent chutney (though I have not yet tried it). The pods soon develop and its sour flesh is widely used in Indian cooking. 

Tamarind is called Chincha in Marathi and Imli in Hindi. It makes a wonderful Bonsai but needs lot of care when it is repotted. 

Here it is.

Pods

Cool shade under the fresh green leaves!

This a common roadside tree in Pune but also seen in home gardens or parks. We have some beautiful huge old Tamarind trees that I use as landmarks! 

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove blog hop. Do head over to see some fantastic trees from all over the world. Better still, join in!

Cigar Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Just as we were crossing the road, I meet this glorious Cigar Tree (at least that's what I think it is!!). 

A wonderful tree that literally stopped me in my tracks! And it happened as I was at the Zebra crossing . This was in London but rest assured, I had sufficient time to stay safely back at the traffic signal and appreciate this tree. 

I just had to wait and capture the lovely foliage and long green pods almost like festoons decorating it.

Catalpa speciosa belongs to the Bignonicaceae family (same as my previous tree Waras) and is said to be native to certain parts of the US. 

Its a pleasure to know a place for its trees besides usual attractions like museums, monuments and so on.

I am sure you will agree with me!!

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!

Waras (ThursdayTreeLove)

 Here is tree that I have seen on our hills in Pune. There are only a few that grow in the city so I always assumed it was a species that preferred some elevation.

I was proved wrong when we did a few long drives around Pune into the interiors (to see flowering ofcourse!!) . I saw plenty of these lovely stately trees in the plains as well.

I am referring to the Waras or Heterophragma quadriloculare of the Bignonicaceae family. 

It has pretty white flowers with frilly petals and the tree looks majestic when in bloom. 

Many of the native species that grow in and around Pune bloom in Feb/Mar and April. 

It needs great determination to go out in the heat but the joy of seeing and identifying the tree is infinite!! 

For some strange reason, I was unable to find a local name in English for this tree. 

Here it is!

Compound leaves

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!

Red (ThursdayTreeLove)

 After the Yellow Bombax on the last edition of TTL it is vital that I post the usual red Bombax that is mostly seen around Pune.

Here it is:

Bombax ceiba aka Kate Sawar / Shyamli/ Seemal/Silk Cotton Tree of the Malvaceae family. 

From a distance, one can only see red spots on a bare tree in a bare brown countryside. As one moves closer the red becomes darker and a lot of bird and bees/insect activity is seen on the tree. The large flowers are not pretty by general standards. They are almost cup shaped and have plenty of nectar in it which attracts monkeys as well. 

Tree Drive (ThursdayTreeLove)

My title suggests i would be writing about some tree plantation drive.

But that is far from the truth.

Recently, our Tree lovers Whatsapp group was swamped with photos of a Yellow Seemal. Thats right ... Bombax ceiba with yellow flowers. It looked wonderful and is rare in this part of the world.

Like everyone else on the group, I too wanted to see it. 

The only problem was the location was over 60kms away. 

I got major FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when more folks visited the tree and shared the images. 

Luckily for me, dear husband agreed to accompany me and he drove all the way. 

I packed some sandwiches and we set off early to avoid heat. Surprisingly the road was superb and I ignored all other trees enroute. (That was on the return journey and for another post!! :-)

It was a joy to see the tree at the precise spot, standing alone and in full bloom . The road was lonely, and locals drove or walked past without a second glance. I would like to think they had already had enjoyed the blooms as flowering had been going on for a few weeks at least. 

Without much ado.. here is the Yellow Seemal aka Kate Sawar in Marathi or Silk Cotton Tree. 

Bare (ThursdayTreeLove)

The Peepal (Ficus religiosa) are almost leafless presently in Pune. However the bark colour and peculiar fluting of the trunk and branch ramification make it easier to identify this tree.

This is a massive Peepal standing alone in a parking lot. The ramifications are superb...we try to achieve this in our bonsai (and it's quite difficult to do so). 

This tree just waiting to burst into leaves looked especially attractive to me as I was meeting a few of my batchmates after 40 years!! A unique date (a leap year) added to the surreal quality of our meet up! 

Its great to meet college friends, relive memories and enjoy each others achievements. 

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see fantastic trees from around the world. Better still, join in.