Magnificent (ThursdayTreeLove)

These trees have always fascinated me. In fact they have been on my blog earlier. 

I always thought these were all Ficus species that have taken over the centuries old temples at Siem Reap.

I was wrong. 

Not all the trees are Ficus.

Yes I am referring to the temples in Cambodia specifically the so called TreeTemple or Ta Phrom.

The first sight is this ... almost as if the tree is growing out of the top of the structure. Its very high so one cannot appreciate ths thickness of the trunk but its certainly daunting.

As one walks closer and around the structure, the magnificiet tree reveals itself. Rather its trunk and roots do.

                          

Its obviously not a Ficus... the tree was in flower and the inflorescence could be seen on the bare branches. Our guide told us it is the Tetrameles nudiflora of the Tetramelaceae family. He called it the Spung tree which is its local name.

The Ta Phrom complex has many more such daunting massive trees that makes one wonder if its the trees that have retained the structures or the other way around. The ASI has helped in the restoration of this important site.

This temple was built by King Jayavarman VII originally called Rajvihara. More details about the temple complex are available online. Those who have seen the movie Lara Croft : Tomb Raider may remember this temple. 

Either way, visiting Angkor Wat and some of the temples around it was a long awaited trip. Several trees in bloom and I could not identify all.. I think a dedicated botanical visit is required!! ;-) 

Of course, I hope to share some of my finds here on TTL!

Here are more images for this glorious tree.

Fallen inflorescence

Poster at the entrance of the Ta Phrom temple complex

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

A Tree By The Lake (ThursdayTreeLove)

 When travelling its always wonderful to see trees growing there. Healthy happy trees especially in public spaces , to me, shows that locals and the administration take care of the flora and are care deeply about green spaces in their town/city.

I am sure all of you will agree with me.

In Chandigarh, I met this beautiful old Ficus religiosa that was labelled as a Heritage Tree. It lives by the Sukhna Lake and is a lovely sight. Also called Peepal, this belongs to the Moraceae family.

Chandigarh has lovely roads flanked on either side by large  trees. All well maintained. Its a pleasure to be there. 

Here it is.

Grand Old Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Today I have yet another tree from my Travels. 

A beautiful tree that .. hold your breath... more than 400 years old!

Yes you read that right.

Its the Robinia pseudoacacia that has its home in Paris at the Square Rene Viviani. Planted in 1601 this species is also called Black Locust and belongs to the Fabaceae family.

The tree was not native to France but was brought from North America by Jean Robin and it surprisingly flourished in its new home. 

The tree has survived many a traumatic phases in history and even was in danger of falling under its own weight. Hence a V shaped support was installed. 

The tree has obviously been given much love, attention and care by many people across generations which  allows us to enjoy its beauty even now.

Here you go!

Unique (ThursdayTreeLove)

After our tree-spotting car drives in 2024 to see the Yellow Bombax, we embarked on another one recently .. albeit it wasn't too far away from Pune.

The aim was to see the elusive, rare beautiful yellow Palash or Yellow Flame of the Forest. 

We all know the red Palash but the yellow one is just as beautiful but very uncommon. According to some experts, the yellow colour is due to a genetic mutation. 

Botanically, it is called Butea monosperma var lutea of the Fabaceae family. 

According to Flowers of India, there are very few trees and is endemic to the Deccan Plateau. Our Tree group reported this particular yellow Palash that lives in Pune. I missed its flowering last year and this year I was determined to see the yellow blooms.

As it turns out, I was a few days late and most flowers had faded and fallen off. I could see some flowers. 

An amazing tree. 

Here you go...

Old Treasure (ThursdayTreeLove)

 I have missed many editions of ThursdayTreeLove for many reasons and I hope I can post regularly now!

Recently I visited Amritsar and the Company Bagh there. Its a fascinating place that is home to many really really old trees. It also has a few old buildings all possibly from over a century ago. 

Many of the trees are labelled which makes identification easy and one can then try to appreciate various features instead of spending time trying to know the tree name!! 

This Camphor tree was especially beautiful. It has 6 trunks emerging from the base which was massive. People casually sat around it or walked past and I seemed to be the only one taking photos of the trees there. 

Here it is!

Cinnamomum camphora belongs to the Lauraceae family. As expected the leaved were fragrant. It is said to be native to East and South East Asia.

Rare (ThursdayTreeLove)

 Todays tree is a native and according to the book 'Trees of Pune' by Shrikant Ingalhalikar it is native to Pune.

Yet we know of only 2 individuals in the city. 

Isn't that shocking? And sad? 

And in all these years I had not gone to see the tree!! 

The tree is Adinia cordifolia or Haldu of Rubiaceae. 

So when our tree group was buzzing with news of its flowering, I just had to visit.

They grow at an area where Metro construction is on full swing. I am thankful to God these 2 trees continue to flourish growing as they do by the roadside. I pray they continue to do so.

Reaching the spot was a challenge due to lot of traffic diversions and road closures and heavy rain. But I was determined and I made it there.

The majestic duo with huge heart shaped leaves were in full bloom. The branches were full of the round flowers (like Kadamba and Kaim - not surprising as they are the same family) and a wonderful sight. 

People looked askance as I walked balancing my umbrella, navigating contruction material and cars and my phone camera.

Here is the lovely Haldu. 

Opposite heart shaped leaves

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. 

A Castle Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

 Today I have a tree from my travels. It is a new and hence unfamiliar species to me so I will just go with sharing images of a glorious really old tree. 

Without much ado.. .here we go.. This is a tree from the 18th century that has its home at the Cardiff Castle in Cardiff. 

It is a Holm Oak which is apparently the Quercus ilex of the Fagaceae family. 

The impressive trunk invites attention

A bit of the tree's history

Creeper or Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

 Woody Liana is a term for large creepers and the one I am sharing today is found mostly at the foothills of the Himalayas. As far as I know, there are two of them growing in Pune and they seem quite happy in our warmer climate.

In Marathi, Woody Liana is called Maha Vel which literally translates as Massive Creeper. This gives a hint to the size this plant can achieve.

Here is an image of the base of the Bauhinia vahlii creeper  of the Caesalpiniaceae family.. You can easily appreciate how big is the actual plant. In Marathi its name is Kanchan Vel.

Also called the Maloo Creeper, it is said to be the biggest liana in India and this image shows how extensively it has grown to cover all the massive trees in the Empress garden. When in bloom (Apr - Jun) the entire canopy is covered with beautiful large flowers. Similar to the other Bauhinias it has two lobed leaves that resemble camels feet. 

My image doesn't really do justice to the flowers.. but you can get an idea

It is said that Bauhinia vahlii is an enemy of the plants it grows over. 

Pretty flowers

Have you noticed this lovely Liana? Or can it be a tree? 

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

Tree With Story

Ever so often, on ThursdayTreeLove, we hear the words, if only this tree could tell its story... Especially when its an old stalwart holding its own. 

Today is 26th January, celebrated in India as the Republic Day. An important landmark in my country's freedom.

It seems a good day to write about this particular Peepal tree or Ficus religiosa of the Moraceae family. 

Since our bloghop is about trees, I will very briefly touch upon the history (not doing it the justice it deserves) and the story the tree has to tell. I have added some links for anyone interested to read more. Google will also help!! 

I saw this massive old Peepal at the Mamledar Kacheri in Pune which is a government office related to land records. Everyone coming there keen on finishing their work and rushing off, possibly only looking at this tree as a spot to shelter from the Sun. 

Umaji Naik was a revolutionary who fought against rule of the British from around 1826-1832 inflicting great damage . To cut a long story very short, the British captured him and he was imprisoned, tried. On 3 Feb 1832, Umaji Naik was hanged at the above mentioned premises from the Peepal tree. Thereafter, he was left there for three days in order  to deter people from more revolts. 

This tree is indeed a witness and participant in our freedom struggle. It stands to remind us of how our fore fathers fought so that we are free and independent today.

You can read more about Umaji Naik in this Wikipedia article and about his life here. 

The Peepal grows in one corner of the premises. Offering cooling shade to visitors

People end up sitting under the tree little realising its part in our freedom struggle.

There is a small sign post on the tree which states that Umaji Naik was hung from this tree

Glorious Gulmohor (ThursdayTreeLove)

May is peak summer in Pune. 
Its also the time for the May Flower! 
Its blossoms have a soothing effect despite the brilliant red... a colour that is usually associated with heat.

This is a beautiful Gulmohor tree growing on my regular walk route. Here it is..

From a distance.. looks like the rising Sun on the horizon!

Walking closer to the tree

Overlooking its huge canopy

Brilliant 

Kailashnath Neem (ThursdayTreeLove)

Continuing on this e-visit to Ellora, here is a massive Neem tree. It is growing on the right side as we face the Cave 16 Kailash Temple complex. The straight trunk its vast base are eye catching.. The dense foliage hid its branching and only made it more imposing. 

Another Temple Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Continuing on the  theme from the last ThursdayTreeLove post, here are a couple of Plumeria trees that are closer home. I photographed these in way back in May 2013 but they were still around and doing well when I last visited. The trees are in the premises of the Chaturshrungi Temple at Pune. For some reason they grow at an angle and seem to be coming out of the wall.

The gnarled trunks seem to be telling a story.. To me they convey the will to survive and succeed despite adversity..

What do these trees tell you?

Its the last week of 2018 folks. Here's wishing all of you a very happy, healthy 2019, full of wonderful writing and reading!
:-)

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

Survivor (ThursdayTreeLove)

This is my second ThursdayTreeLove post with the same title! Its not for lack of creativity but this seems to be the apt choice for the tree that I want to share. 
My alternative title for today was Living Fossil.
With that, some of you may have guessed the ID of my tree.

That's right! This is the Ginkgo biloba which is known for its brilliant yellow Fall Foliage. 
I saw the above tree in the premises of a temple in Tokyo and it seemed to have its apex burnt off by lightning. It was obviously a very old tree judging by the texture and girth and appearance of the trunk. Despite losing its apex at some point, the tree had developed new lateral branches and continued to flourish. It did have some protection around it but visitors were not really interested in this. 

Survivor (ThursdayTreeLove)

Going through old travel photos is a wonderful way to relive the experience. Often the albums throw up surprises - like identifying a flower or tree ..

A relook at my Andaman trip album threw up a few images of trees that have survived the all-destructive Tsunami that hit the region in 2004. 

On Ross Island, we saw this ancient Tree with an incredible root structure. It reminded me of the giant Silk Cotton tree in the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru. 

If you zoom into the photo, you can see what may be a strangling Ficus growing on one of the branches. 

An amazing tree that has stood the test of time and Nature's Fury.

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. 

Better still, if you have a photo of a tree that has caught your eye, then do join us in this bimonthly tree fiesta!

Stay healthy and happy folks!

Mad Tree (ThursdayTreeLove)

Our guide very apologetically said, "This is the Mad Tree". I was stunned. In whatever little bit I have read about trees and their names, I had never come across this one.. 

It was a wonderful tree, with a graceful buttress and showed nothing that would have earned it this title of being 'Mad'. 

The Great Banyan (ThursdayTreeLove)

Today I am taking the easy way out an recycling an earlier post... Maybe some of you have already read it but I will take my chances... 

I had read about two really huge Ficus trees - one at a place called Pemgiri in Maharashtra and one in the botanical garden in Kolkata. I had seen one with a massive spread in Puducherry as well. 

Today's post is dedicated to a 250 year old Ficus tree growing at the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Kolkata. The 1786-founded garden has a vast collection of lovely old trees. The main attraction is the Great Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) that is supported by  thousands of roots and is spread over five acres. Despite its loss of the main trunk in 1925, the Banyan is still 'growing' . The authorities have had to increase the protective perimeter built around it as the tree 'walked' eastwards!

Here are some images of The Great Banyan.

Curves and Lines (ThursdayTreeLove)

This tree has literally got my attention each and every time I pass by. So much so that I have to be cautioned to pay attention to traffic as it is located on my cycle route! 

It is a Palm and quite and old one I think. For some reason, it has this twisted trunk. I can only speculate why this may have happened. Some storm perhaps. Or maybe there used to be some other structure there and the tree for some reason chose to grow around it...

Whatever maybe the case, its curves and lines are striking! Agree?

I am joining Parul in her #ThursdayTreeLove38 blog hop. Do head over to see some amazing trees from around the world. Better still, join in!