It is a deciduous tree that grows to about 15-25 meters in height with a large canopy of leaf cover that spreads equally wide. The leaves are a soft, shiny burgundy in early summer and mature to a glossy, deep green as the season progresses. Small clusters of white, purple, and pink flowers blossom on their branches throughout the year, maturing into brown seed pods. The tree is well suited to intense heat and sunlight and its dense network of lateral roots and its thick, long taproot make it drought tolerant. The dense shade it provides slows the evaporation of surface water and its root structures promote nitrogen fixation, which moves nutrients from the air into the soil.
Local names: Indian Beech, Pongam, Honge, Ponge, and Karanj
Flowers and Fruits: summer
2. Artocarpus heterophyllus (jackfruit)
Description:
A tree with milky latex well suited to tropical lowlands. The leaves are dark green, leathery and shining. Its fruit is the largest, seldom less than about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. Even a relatively thin tree, around 10 cm (4 in) diameter, can bear large fruit. The jackfruit is something of an acquired taste, but it is very popular in many parts of the world. The sweet yellow sheaths around the seeds are about 3–5 mm thick, but milder and less juicy.
Local names: Jack fruit; Katahal
Flowers and Fruits: Summer
3. Mangifera indica (Mango trees)
Description:
Grows to 35-40 m in height, with a crown radius of 10 m. The leaves are dark green, alternate, simple, 15-35 cm long and 6-16 cm broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal clusters 10-40 cm long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5-10 mm long, with a mild sweet odor. After the flowers finish, the fruit takes from three to six months to ripen. The ripe fruit is variable in size (right image) and color, such as yellow, orange, red or purple.
Local names: Mango, Aam
Flowers and Fruits: Winter to Summer
4. Syzigium cumini (Jamoon)
Description:
An evergreen tropical tree 50 to 100 ft. tall, with oblong opposite leaves that are smooth, glossy; they have a turpentine smell. The bark is scaly gray and the trunk forks into multiple trunks about 3 - 5' from the ground. Jamun has fragrant white flowers in branched clusters at stem tips and purplish-black oval edible berries. The juicy fruit-pulp contains resin, gallic acid and tannin; it tastes usually from acid to fairly sweet. The somewhat astringent, jamun fruit can be utilized for juice. This berry has only one seed.
Local names: Java plum, jamun, black plum, Indian blackberry
Flowers and Fruits: Winter to Summer
5. Azadirachta indica (Neem)
Description:
A fast growing tree that can reach a height of 15-20 m (about 50-65 feet. The branches are wide spread. The fairly dense canopy may reach the diameter of 15-20 m in old. The trunk is relatively short, straight and may reach a diameter of 1.2 m. The bark is hard, fissured or scaly, and whitish-grey to reddish-brown. The sapwood is greyish-white and the heartwood reddish when first exposed to the air becoming reddish-brown after exposure. The root system consists of a strong taproot and well developed lateral roots. The flowers (white and fragrant) are arranged more-or-less drooping clusters which are up to 25 cm long. The fruit is a smooth drupe which varies in shape from elongate oval to nearly roundish.
Local names: Neem, Bevu
Flowers and Fruits: Winter to Summer
6. Ficus bengalensis (Banyan)
Description:
The Banyan is a tree with a huge spread with characteristic aerial roots which upon touching and entering the earth, draws sustenance from the earth, thickens/lignifies and becomes a new trunk. The vine like aerial roots plunging down from the main limbs of the tree form a network of trunks with surface roots spreading in all direction. The leaves are leathery and oval shaped with the berry or figs emerging in pairs which are globose and ripen to a red colour. Typically the flowers – male and female and gall flowers all grow radially inwards towards the centre of the hollow berry or fig. The tree is evergreen though briefly leafless at the peak of the hot season in dry localities.
Local names: Banyan, Nyagrodha, Bargad, Aladha mara
Flowers and Fruits: Throughout the year
7. Ficus religiosa (Sacred Fig, Pipal)
Description:
It is a largedry season-deciduous tree up to 30 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 3 m. The leaves are heart shaped with a distinctive extended tip; they are 10-17cm long and 8-12cm broad, with a 6-10cm petiole. The fruit is a small fig 1-1.5cm diameter, green ripening purple. This plant is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it. Siddhartha Gautama is referred to have been sitting underneath a Bo Tree when he was enlightened (Bodhi), or "awakened" (Buddha).
Local names: Bodhi, Pipal (peepal, peepul, pippala, pimpal, etc.), arali or Ashvastha
Flowers and Fruits: December to March
8. Gmelina arborea (Gamhar, Shivani)
Description:
The tree attains moderate to large height up to 30 m with girth of 1.2 to 4.5 m with a clear bole of 9-15 m. It has a smooth whitish grey (ashy) corky bark, warty with lenticular tubercles exfoliating in regular patches when old. It is a treat to see the tree standing straight with clear bole having branches on top and thick foliage forming a conical crown on the top of the tall stem. Flowers are bright yellow coloured and attractive. The bark is light grey coloured, exfoliating in light coloured patches when old, blaze thick, a chlorophyll layer just under the outer bark, pale yellow white inside. wood is pale yellow to cream coloured or plukish-buff when fresh, turning yellowish brown on exposure and is soft to moderately hard, light to moderately heavy, lustrous when fresh, usually straight to irregular or rarely wavy grained and medium course textured.
Local names: Gambar, khumbhari, kumbuda, kumulu, shivani
Flowers and fruits: February to April
9. Michelia champaca (Champak)
Description:
This small tree has alternate, lanceolate leaves to over 20 cm long that are slightly curved. The flowers are fragrant, a mustard yellow colour, and in each flower the ovaries are free from one another. The central stalk or receptacle elongates and bears the developing fruits along it. When fully developed each individual fruit is about 2.5 cm long, with a reddish tinge and whitish pustules; this follicle opens to release orange-red seeds.
Local names: Champaka, Champak or Champac, Champa, Sampige and Shamba
Flowers and fruits: December to April
10. Bambusa arundinacea (Bamboo)
Description:
Tall woody bamboo, stems thorny, numerous, tufted, up to 40 m tall, curving at top; branches numerous, internodes 30–45 cm long, prominent, bearing in lower parts of stems dense half whorls of stiff, naked, horizontal branches, armed with 2–3 recurved, stout spines; lowest nodes rooting; stem-sheaths leathery, orange-yellow when young, hairy outside, shining and ribbed inside, 30–45 cm long; blade triangular, glabrous, covered with a brown felt of bristly hairs inside; leaves thin, linear, up to 20 cm long, glabrous above, hair beneath; leaf-sheaths hairy, small; inflorescence an enormous panicle, often occupying the entire stem; branchlets loose clusters of pale, glabrous spikes.
Local names: Bamboo, Bidiru, Bans
Flowers and fruits: Once in its life time (40 years)
11. Muntingia calabura (Singapore cherry)
Description:
It is a small tree 7-12 meters tall with tiered and slightly drooping branches. It has serrated leaves 2.5-15 cm long and 1-6.5 cm wide. The flowers are small and white, gives rise to 1-1.5 cm light red fruit. The fruit is edible, sweet and juicy, and contains a large number of tiny (0.5 mm) yellow seeds. It is a pioneer species that thrives in poor soil, able to tolerate acidic and alkaline conditions and drought. Its seeds are dispersed by birds and fruit bats. It is cultivated for its edible fruit, and has become naturalised in some other parts of the tropics, including southeastern Asia.
Local names: Gasgase hannu, Singapore cherry
Flowers and fruits: Throughout the year
12. Ficus racemosa ( Fig)
Description:
Tree growing up to 10-16m tall with grayish bark. Leaves are 7.5-10cm long, ovate or elliptic in shape, dark green. Flowers are in the form of fruit, visible when cut open. The fruit in large clusters, arising from main trunk or large branches.
Local names: Indian Fig, Atthi mara, Udumbara
Flowers and fruits: Throughout the year
13. Butea monosperma (Flame of the forest)
Description:
It is a medium sized dry season-deciduous tree, growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, with an 8-16 cm petiole and three leaflets, each leaflet 10-20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5 cm long, bright orange-red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm long. The fruit is a pod 15-20 cm long and 4-5 cm broad. It is said that the tree is a form of Agnidev, God of Fire. It was a punishment given to Him by Goddess Parvati for disturbing Hers and Lord Shiva's privacy.
Local names:Flame of the forest, Mutthuga, Kinshuk, Palash, Dhak
Flowers and fruits: January to May
14. Cassia fistula (Golden Shower Tree)
Description:
It is a medium-sized tree growing to 10-20 m tall with fast growth. The leaves are deciduous or semi-evergreen, 15-60 cm long, pinnate with 3-8 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 7-21 cm long and 4-9 cm broad. The flowers are produced in pendulous racemes 20-40 cm long, each flower 4-7 cm diameter with five yellow petals of equal size and shape. The fruit is a legume is 30-60 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm broad, with a pungent odour and containing several seeds.
Local names: Kakke mara, suvarnaka, bendra lathi, golden shower, Indian laburnum
