very nice set of pictures of Rain tree Raman Ji. thanks for sharing Regards prasad
On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Rathinasabapathy Bhuvaragasamy < [email protected]> wrote: > Again Good set of pictures Raman Ji. > > > On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 10:45 AM, raman <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Large, handsome and spreading, the Rain Tree is easily recognised by its >> umbrella like canopy of evergreen, feathery foliage and puffs of pink >> flowers. It is frequently planted in groups or as an avenue because of its >> ability to keep its symmetrical conformation in spite of prevailing winds. >> It is a tree of rapid growth, brought originally from Central America to >> Sri Lanka and forwarded from there because it was considered to be a tree >> of great value for railway fuel. It often reaches a height of 27 m. and the >> strong, spreading branches may be nearly as long. The bark is dark grey, >> often bearing horizontal weals and the trunk frequently branches quite low >> down. From March to May and again towards the end of the year the green >> canopy is dotted all over with pink and white. During the rest of the year, >> too, there are usually quite a few flowers to be seen. The flowers appear >> like round, silken tufts, but actually each flower stalk bears one central >> and a surrounding circlet of florets, up to twenty in number. Each has a >> tube-shaped calyx and a tiny, yellow-lobed, crimson trumpet; bunches of >> long stamens, half pink and half white, protrude from each. The long, heavy >> leaves are twice pinnate and each pinna, of which there are four to eight >> pairs, bears from three to seven pairs of leaflets. These are oval and have >> no stalks, becoming larger and more curved towards the end. on its >> thickened base so that the leaves all lie sideways. In Malaysia this >> drooping of the leaves is considered to portend rain and is the explanation >> of the name Rain Tree, Hujan-hujan meaning "rain", but in India it is >> believed that the name was given because of a curious habit possessed by >> the tree of intermittently spraying the ground beneath with moisture. Later >> it was discovered that this was caused by multitudinous minute insects. The >> fruit is a fleshy pod, sweet to the taste and much relished by squirrels, >> horses and cattle >> >> Raman >> > > > > -- > B. Rathinasabapathy > Project Co-ordinator > Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park > 1388, Avinashi Road > Peelamedu > Coimbatore-641004 > > <http://mail.google.com/subscribe.mhtml> > > > > -- Prasad Kumar Dash Ecologist, Orissa, India email: [email protected] ph. 09437444241
