Fort Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

 My tree for today is not a new species to all of you tree lovers.. yet I am sharing these images just for the spectacular trunks they have achieved. 

Without much ado.. here are the images of the Chafa (thats the local marathi name) or Plumeria of the Apocynaceae family. Sadly none of the trees were in bloom so I have to stop at identification at the Genus level. This is an introduced species in India and it flowers profusely but rarely fruits in Pune. However I have seen the Plumeria fruit in Gurgaon. It is also called the Temple tree or Frangipani. 

These are the trees that grow at the Kolaba fort in Alibag. Alibag is a town on our west coast along the Arabian Sea. A popular tourist destination with a rich history as well. 

All the Plumerias had gnarled twisted trunks and all were inclined. I have not tried to guess reasons for this . I saw only one growing upright.

The Kolaba fort is off the sea coast and can be accessed by boat or one can walk to it at low tide. You can read more about it here. Here are some images of the fort

That sandy spot is where the boat takes tourists

Entrance

There were many Terminalia cattapa trees but they seemed to be planted. Of course one could see the mangroves as the water had receded in the low tide.. the pencil roots were clearly visible but I dare not try to identify it. 

Its a wonderful fort with of great historical importance. Its not in its former glory but one must visit such places to truly understand history learnt in school. 

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