JOIN USIt is that time of the year again, when the ‘tabebuia’ and the jacaranda bloom in Bangalore. Their seeds germinate easily, and no special care is needed. Collect them, and sow them in your garden to enjoy their spectacular beauty, writes Rashmi Shrinivas.
We often hear people complaining of how metropolitan cities are fast becoming concrete jungles; about how trees are being felled indiscriminately in order to make way for infrastructural projects. But you will realise that this statement is far from true as far as some localities of Bangalore are concerned. While there is a lot of greenery around compared to other metropolises, many deciduous trees that shed their leaves in winter are suddenly in full bloom in the month of March. A spectacular sight, indeed.
Tabebuia argentea, commonly known as Caribbean trumpet tree or yellow trumpet tree, is the most attractive among them. Reaching a height of about 20- 30 ft, this tree belonging to the family bignoniaceae, is a native of South America, now commonly found in Bangalore as a road-lining tree.
The generic name tabebuia is derived from its Tupi name, tacyba bebuya, meaning ‘ant wood’, while the specific name argentaa is given for the fact that its leaves are silvery green (argentium means silver).
The tree with its lovely fissured bark and crooked trunk is attractive even when not in bloom. Actually it is a picture-perfect tree. As the tree starts losing its leaves in winter, flowers start blooming and by mid March the tree is in full bloom with its large bunches of bright yellow trumpet shaped flowers. All this charm lasts for a short span of about 15 days. Soon the flowers fall and new leaves start growing, to get ready for the show next year. Propagation is by seeds that germinate easily. Since no special care is needed, it is popularly grown as road lining tree.
Floral extravaganza
Another tree, tabebuia avellanedae, its close cousin, also a native of America, is equally beautiful with slightly lesser canopy and bears similar clusters of dark pink flowers with a yellowish neck, approximately of the size of T. argentea flowers, and commonly called pink lapacho tree. This also does not grow too tall and is popular as a road-lining tree in Bangalore. This tree sheds its leaves before T. argentea some time in December-January itself and it is in full bloom usually in January end and at times in February. Its dark brown pods contain seeds that germinate and grow in new seedling to grow into big tree eventually.
Their another cousin, tabebuia rosea, with light pink bunches of flowers, sheds leaves in February and is in full bloom, often without any leaves, in the month of March. This tree, commonly known as pink trumpet tree, has comparatively bigger leaves and flowers and a popular road lining tree even in small lanes.
Jacaranda mimosifolia of course, is known to every one of us, since it has been a common road lining tree from decades. The name ‘jacaranda’ is derived from Portuguese language, meaning ‘with a hard branch’. The name mimosifolia is given because of its leaves resembling the leaves of ‘touch me not’.
Belonging to the same family as the above trees (bignoniaceae), it bears large clusters of lavender/blue coloured trumpet shaped flowers in the month of March. Though its leaves resemble those of Mayflower (gulmohar), it is not difficult to differentiate the two since the former are not as big and feathery as the latter. Even the trees can be differentiated easily since the jacaranda does not have a large umbrella shaped canopy like the gulmohar. Also, its fruits contain numerous seeds in it and can easily be germinated. By leaving the dry fruit in the sun for a while and then pouring cold water on it and immediately covering it with a lid, seeds will easily come out with a splutter. These can be sown to get the seedlings.
Try to collect the seeds of these trees and sow them in your garden.