Thank you Ushadi as always. I have made note of these uses and hope to put all this information together in one place someday.
I asked a local lady this morning and she said that she used to eat the seeds contained inside the fruit as a child (along with other children) and said that the seeds were sweet tasting. That was something new. I asked her a few more questions to verify if she knew Semal and she gave all the correct details. I will ask more people in the lower town and see if they have had a similar experience. Thanks and regards, Ashwini > On 10-Jan-2016, at 10:25 PM, Ushadi Micromini <[email protected]> > wrote: > > awesome > i love the first picture seems to be from some other time other dreamy time > looks old world// old time as if from some 50 to 70 year ago... > > > > seemul silk/cotton is used by villagers in bengal and biihar > make religious diya/ghee lamp wicks. sometimes (often near Diwali time) > and holi time they come to the cities to sell them, i buy them often, love > them. > > sheemul tulo ie silk cotton is prized for pillows in bengal > and this is now without seeds, but in the decades leading upto 7os the silk > cotton > used to have the seeds with the threads and that prevented matting, useful > then f > or baby's pillows, to easily change shape > in many countries its used for stuffing water bouys and life saving vests. > > sheemul seed oil is important in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, need to > search for exact details. > > > and the spines on the trunk is used instead of chandan to make pralep > for various skin conditions by bengali kaviraj (vaidya). > > > usha di > > > > > . > > >> On Sun, Jan 10, 2016 at 8:51 PM, Ashwini Bhatia <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> Our Semal trees (locally simbal) are in flower attracting not only kites who >> nest and mate on these trees but also other birds. I saw a parakeet, a >> Rufous Tree Pie and a couple of mynahs on the tree dipping their beaks into >> the flowers within a couple of minutes I spent photographing the tree. I am >> not sure what parts of the flowers/buds they eat but they seem to like it. >> >> There are several trees on road verges in the lower Dharamshala town and >> they look stately with their tall trunks and spread branches. I read >> somewhere that because they are tall they are a preferred roosting place for >> large birds such as vultures which are sadly in serious decline. And since >> vultures are considered harbingers of bad-luck, people do not plant semal >> near homes. >> >> The wood from semal makes poor timber and locals occasionally use it in >> planking (and in manufacturing matchsticks elsewhere). Surprisingly, people >> do not exploit the commercial value of the cotton obtained from the tree >> here. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing for the tree. >> >> Here are some photographs from today and one of the flower bud from a couple >> of days back. >> >> Bombax ceiba—Silk-cotton Tree, Semal, Simbal >> Dharamshala, HP >> 1400m approx. >> 10 January 2016 >> >> Thanks. >> Ashwini >> >> <_MG_7615_10Jan2016.jpg><_MG_7665_10Jan2016.jpg> >> <_MG_7646_10Jan2016.jpg> >> <_MG_7636_10Jan2016.jpg> >> <IMG_5542_05Jan2016.jpg> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "efloraofindia" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > > -- > Usha di > =========== -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
