DelhiTrees

At Swarna Jayanti Park, dozens of towering Baobab trees feel almost out of place in Delhi. Leafless now, their massive trunks and root-like branches give them that “upside-down” look, made even more striking by the many small, hard & oval fruits hanging from the bare branches.

@swatiatrest What's cooking?

At Yamuna Biodiversity Park, a rare sight- the golden form of Butea monosperma in bloom. An uncommon yellow variant (Butea monosperma var. lutea), instead of the usual fiery orange. Same flowers, different hue. A small reminder: even familiar trees can still surprise.

@Mkr16KUMAR Yes!

@delhitrees Never been to Yamuna Biodiversity Park. Is it an easy trail, like the Aravali one ..

@deorachandra The park authorities are already on it!

@delhitrees wow ... Its pods should be used for new sampling.

At Yamuna Biodiversity Park, hundreds of wood apple aka Kaith(Limonia acidissima) trees are in fruit. It appears in the Ganesha mantra “kapittha jambu phala charu bhakshanam”, describing Ganesha as one who relishes it(कपित्थ/कैथ). The fruit is also eaten by elephants in the wild.

At Swarna Jayanti Park, Rohini two small groves of Mahua with nearly 16 trees are close to flowering. In a few days, their fleshy, fragrant flowers will begin to fall and gather on the ground. A grouping like this is rare & few parks around the city have so many Mahua together.

At Shanti Van saw four old pilkhan (Ficus virens) trees, each at a different moment of renewal. One fully green. One in soft yellow-green. One still coppery. One full of buds. Same species, side by side, each keeping its own time, repeating this quiet choreography every year.

@anemoneofseas @srishtiest looks like Kachnar (Bauhinia variegeta)!

@srishtiest @delhitrees which flower is this!

you found that place.

@ank160 The place Palashi (पलाशी) in Bengal, known historically for the Battle of Plassey, is believed to have been named after groves of Palash trees in that region. The name Palash (पलाश) for Butea monosperma appears in ancient Sanskrit literature, including the Vedic texts.

@delhitrees What about the genesis of name Palash?

The spring blossoms of Butea monosperma are also known as Kimśuka(किंशुक) in Sanskrit. The name is often explained as kim+śuka (what, a parrot?), as the curved orange-red flowers resemble parrot beaks. Sometimes in a language a name begins with wonder & a question becomes a noun.

Around Shakti Sthal, the Caribbean trumpet trees are in bloom. For a brief time their branches hold little else but clusters of luminous yellow trumpets- whole crowns of gold against the March sky. Beneath them, the paths gather a soft carpet of fallen petals.

@parim I asked some others buying it. They said it goes well with potatos, dry with no gravy!

@delhitrees Is there a special dish that is made with the tender drumsticks?

Sunday Sadar Bazaar felt quieter today. A lot of women who come with their baskets of greens were missing, busy with the wheat harvest. Still, the market held its small seasonal delights- especially the tender drumstick pods & purslane, the succulent leaves better known as Kulfa.

@vivgup1 Slightly bitter/astringent.

@delhitrees Bitter?

The Bauhinia purpurea trees in Nehru Park are flowering, their pink orchid-like blooms lighting up the branches. Gathered a handful of the fallen buds/flowers & relished them lightly stir-fried. In a small way, it felt like taking spring in and letting the season enter the body!

There is always at least one good reason to look forward to another year- the return of bakain in bloom and its soft, dreamy fragrance drifting through the spring air.

Correction: Bauhinia variegata trees!

@pargaien Swarna Jayanti Park, Rohini.

@delhitrees Details please

The observer is the observed.