ORANGE TREE

  

APPLE TREE

APPLE TREE

WINE PALM

WINE PALM

Genus:	Caryota (kair-ee-OH-tuh)
Species:	urens (OOR-ens)

                                                      Choondappana is one of the commonest wild palms on the Western Ghats. Its ornamental feature makes an attractive pot plant at its young age. The stem of the tree is smooth and similar to cylinders in shape. The fruits are reddish in colour. The wood is much stronger and durable than the other palm trees and is useful for domestic purposes. Toddy can be obtained by tapping. If you remove the fatal bud or the cabbage of the tree, it will kill the tree. Fibre that is made from the sheaths of the leaf stalks is very strong and can be used in making ropes, brushes etc.

TEAK TREE

TEAK TREE

                                                  

                                                   The teak tree is one of the tropical hardwood trees which can grow 30 to 40 m in height and often live to an age of 100 years. Its longevity is very great and specially noted for its capacity to withstand seasonal variations. The resin present in the heartwood in highly water resistant and it protects the teak from decay, insects and bacteria. Other characteristics of teak wood are durability, elasticity and presence of solid fibre. It is also used for making indoor and outdoor furniture making.

INDIAN DEVIL TREE

INDIAN DEVIL TREE

• Scientific Name:Alstonia Scholaris
• Sanskrit name:Saptha parna (Leaves 5-7 in a whirl), Saptacchada, sharada, Vishama chada
• Malayalam:Yakshippala,Daiva pala,ezhilam pala,pala
• English:Indian Devil tree

                                                            The flowers of this tree will fell down from the tree within hours. The wood of the tree is used to make slates in some countries. The flowering months are November -October.

                                             Ezhilam pala, the name itself makes one to think of ‘Yakshi’, is a moderate to large sized evergreen tree which grows up to 30 m in height. The leaves come out in whorls of seven, elliptic-oblong, obtuse and petiolate, flowers small greenish white, found in umbellate cymes, fruits follicles about 50 cm long, contain papillose seeds with hairs on each ends. The blooms are associated with very strong aroma. The soft wood is used for manufacturing packing cases, match sticks, black boards, pencils etc.

                                                            Ezhilam pala is a common tree in Kerala. It filled our yakshi stories with its great fragrance. It became a common element to our poets. I am also curious to take some images of this plant and its amazing flowers. In my memory these flowers were formed like a carpet in front of the 'Sarpa kavu' of the temple. Its smell with the smell of turmeric and salt made a great mix. There were some manjadi seeds behind the sarpa kavu to add a different hue to the picture.

                                                                Flower of Pala tree from Vyttila. These trees are from the compound of Shiva subrahmanya temple, vyttila. These small white flowers filled the area with great smell.

Its very interensting to know more about the flowers with this peculiar smell. More detailed description of its name in Sanskrit from this site. These flowers had their roles in Kalidasa kavyas.

Some malayalam film song which mentioned 'palapoo'

GOLDEN SHOWER TREE

GOLDEN SHOWER TREE

Scientific name                            :          Cassia fistula                 

Family                                         :           Fabaceae

Genus                                          :

                                             It is also known as the golden-shower tree. It is the official flower of Kerala. The flower is golden yellow in colour and is of great importance during the festival Vishu. During this festival, the kanikkonna is worn on Lord Krishna’s idol and is shown to all as their first sight on the Vishu. They bloom during the Months April-May. When the flowers bloom, it is a treat to the eye and the leaves are not seen due to the presence of the golden flower. The petals when fell on the ground is so beautiful to see which gave the plant the name golden shower. The tree is an indicator of rain, blooming before the onset of monsoon. Parts of the tree such as roots, bark and fruit pulp are often used in ayurvedic medicines. The bark of the tree is rich in tannins and is used in leather processing and fabric colouring.

NEEM TREE

NEEM TREE 

•  scientific name                     :              Azadirachta indica.

                                                Neem is popularly known as divine tree. Ability to purify air makes it an inevitable part of courtyard trees. The neem tree is drought resistance and is found in areas with sub-arid to sub-humid conditions where annual rainfall between 400 and 1200mm. It grows in regions where annual rainfall is below 400mm and in such cases it depends upon ground water levels. Products made from neem have several medicinal properties such as antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial and many others. It is a major ingredient in ayurvedic medicine and is prescribed for skin disease. It is a source of environment-friendly biopesticides.

ASOKA TREE

ASOKA TREE

• Scientific name                             :      Saraca asoca
• Family                                          :       Fabaceae
• Genus                                           :       Saraca
• Kingdom                                      :       Plantae
• Phylum                                         :      Mangnoliophyta
• Species                                        :       Indica

                                    The flowers are flame coloured, fragrant and are considered that of kamadeva, God of romance in Hindu mythology. The skin of the bark, leaves, fruits and flowers of Asoka are used for medicinal purpose. It is used for the treatment of uterine bleeding, dysmenorrheal-painful menstruation, bleeding piles, and many other diseases. This herb is rarely used externally and when used, the paste of its bark-skin is good for fighting pain associated with swelling. It can be used internally by women for treating various gynecological disorders. Asoka blooms in the summer and produces fruits in October. The fruit is bitter and astringent in taste, pungent in post digestive effect and has a cold potency. It helps to reduce vata and kapha dosas.

PEEPAL TREE

PEEPAL TREE

•     Scientific name                      :       Ficus religiosa
•     Family                                   :        Moraceae
•    Genus                                     :        Ficus

                  It is also called as Arasu or Bodhi and it is of great medicinal values. Peepal is closely linked with Indian culture. Most of the temple premises have vast spreading peepal trees, which was once a platform for social gatherings of devotees. It is considered as a sacred tree and its leaves are used for religious purposes. It is believed that Lord Krishna passed away under this tree after which the Kaliyuga had begun. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment meditating under the Peepal tree. Peepal leaves have numerous benefits as a result of which it is used in ayurveda. It is especially useful for patients suffering from jaundice to control urine. For constipation problem, there can be no better remedy. Peepal leaves can help to get rid of mumps. Having very thick leaf strength, peepal contributes much to strengthen the ozone layer releasing large amount of oxygen at any time.

JACK FRUIT TREE

JACK FRUIT TREE

Scientific name                            :          Artocarpus  Heterofillus

Family                                          :         Moraceae

Genus                                           :         Artocarpus

MANGO TREE

MANGO TREE

Scientific name                                     :           Mangiferra indica

Family                                                  :           Anacardiaceae

Genus                                                   :            Mangiferra

COCONUT TREE

   

COCONUT TREE

Scientific name                                  :                       cocos nucifera 

Family                                               :                       Arecaceae

Genus                                               :                       Cocos

Coconut tree is the state tree of Kerala. In Kerala, coconut tree is called Kalpavriksha and is a tall and branchless tree. The fruit of the tree is big and oval shaped. Inside the fruit lies the thick brown fibre which surrounds the hard shell. The sweet and the pleasant edible material and the milk stay within this shell. It is used in the preparation of almost all kinds of dishes in Kerala. Oil extracted from ‘Copra’ obtained by drying the edible part is used for cooking, for making shampoos and can be applied to the hair for its enrichment. After the oil is extracted the copra is used as a food for fowls and cattle. Oil is used in the manufacture of soaps and candles. Coir is the solid skin of the nut and is used for making mats and strong ropes which are durable in salt water. Tender coconut water is a natural healthy drink and is good for dysentery, vomiting etc. Toddy obtained from coconut tree is a beverage. The leaves are used for thatching and the trunk is used for roof beam and bridges. The hard cases of the nuts are used for manufacturing cups and vessels.