Thursday, April 7, 2011

Carpet of Gold

The flowering season of the Copperpod tree has staarted and everywhere one sees a carpet of yellow flowers on the roads. The Copperpod tree Peltophorum pterocarpum is a prolific bloomer. The golden yellow flowers fall to the ground below throughout the day.
A native of India, the Copperpod is called Thangadi Mara in Kannada and Radha Chura in Bengali. It gives good shade during the hot days of summer, hence it is a common roadside tree.
The wood of the tree is used to make farm implements. All through the year, the tree is shedding something or the other. In summer, it sheds its abundant flowers. In autumn, the copper coloured seeds fall to the ground, half eaten by parrots. And in winter, it is the turn of the tiny leaves to litter the ground. Many of my neighbours hate this tree because of this habit of the tree, which compels them to sweep their yards daily. But I love the two trees right outside my gate, because they provide me plenty of stuff through the year for my compost heap!

3 comments:

  1. is it really a native to india? i was under the impression that like the gulmohar it was introduced to make the streets more colourful!

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  2. They are lovely. Add colour and provide the shade so badly needed to protect us from the summer sun.

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  3. Slight resemblance to our Bongor tree, on the way buds forming, and taking turns to bloom.

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