Summer blooms: Of trees and flowers enriching our health and landscape

Summer blooms: Of trees and flowers enriching our health and landscape

The parched summer earth dotted with ‘Matkis’ welcomes people, butterflies, and birds for an occasional water respite. Sporadic street fountains and water sprinklers punctuate the summer heat with their moisture. Street vendors patiently wait for customers for an occasional glass of ‘Bael’ sherbet and ‘sugarcane’ juice. And finally, ‘prasad’ of meals, ‘Roohafza and ‘Khus’ sherbet around the time of Akshaya Trititya – this is what a collage of a typical summer in the city looks like around May-June in Delhi.

But regardless of where we are in the summer, flowering trees bursting in rich yellow, red, orange, and pink hues are common. Be it the blooming garden city of Bangalore or the street-lining trees along the highways – these blossoms characterise the summer season and offer green spaces bringing to life the rich biodiversity and the natural capital of our towns and cities.

Be it the abundant Gulmohar in rich reds and oranges, the copper pod tree, ‘Peeli Gulmohar’ with its yellow inflorescence, the glorious Amlatas with their shades of green and yellow resembling the colours of the season’s Safeda mango, climbers of blue Aparajita flowers and Madhumalti or the peaceful Jacaranda or Neeli Gulmohur dotting the streets as an ornament tree – these summer blooms stand out for the serenity offering the much-needed respite from the scorching heat. Ashoka trees, with their brand new soft green shoots, and the Neem trees, with their lush verdancy, add to the overall landscape. There are also the Kadamb trees flowering and fruiting with their yellow fruits and mango trees in full bloom with their ‘Kachchi Kairi.’ Jamun trees, too, debut around this time, quite early, albeit while the season’s waning Shahtoot or mulberry find their place at the street vendors on highways!

loves Amaltas (Credit: Swasti Pachauri)

Let’s delve deeper into the glorious heritage trees and flowers that enlighten us on green infrastructure, ecology, and sustainability while making our cities and towns beautiful.

Natural capital

After a brief hiatus, when the season of orange Palash (flame of the forest) and red, white, and orange Semal (cotton tree) wanes, one can’t help but be awed by the golden showers of Delhi’s Amaltas or Indian Laburnum – the quintessential symbol of the onset of summer.

A drive through Delhi’s Chanakya Puri area, Lodhi road, and other central parts of Delhi, Amaltas or Cassia Fistula paints the city with its golden-yellowish chandelier-like hanging florets. Amaltas flowers are an essential offering during Vishu and other prayers, denoting prosperity and growth. Amlatas is also the state flower of Kerala and is Thailand’s national flower. It emerges from within its lattice-like canopies amid the lush greenery, invoking almost Vincent Van Gogh’s usage of yellows in some of his seminal works.

neeli gulmohar Neeli Gulmohar (Credit: Swasti Pachauri)

During early summer rains, sometimes both the red Gulmohar and yellow loves offer a spectacle with their marvellous flowers dropping from trees and forming floral carpets. During this season, homes can be seen using decorative bowls or ‘Urulis,’ earthen vessels with water, floating petals of Amalatas or Sadabahaar, and other seasonal flowers.

While red and orange Gulmohar flowers are a common sight, yellow copper pods or Haldi/Peeli Gulmohur and Neeli Gulmohur are also a treat to the eyes. Commonly planted as standalone garden trees, street lining, or avenue trees – Neeli and Peeli Gulmohur are other similar trees to the common Gulmohur.

Neeli Gulmohur or Jacaranda trees are beautiful avenue trees with lavender/blue/purple flowers, and can be commonly spotted in Chandigarh. It is called Neeli Gulmohur as its leaves and flowers resemble the traditional orange Gulmohur tree. Reminiscent of the lovely Lilac flower, it offers a bluish-mauvish spectacle against the summer skies, so the Jacaranda tree makes for a peculiar, rare ornamental tree. It is planted along highways and roads and in gardens with abundant sunlight. The Pink Kaner or Oleander, a favourite city ornamentation /highway plant, blooms on road pavements and footpaths, thus making our urban landscapes greener and more sustainable. Similarly, the Champa tree or Firangi Pani is another plant that adds to the beauty of highways and roads.

dancing madhumalti Dancing Madhumalti (Credit: Swasti Pachauri)

Similarly, around March-April, Buransh or Rhododendron flowers bloom spectacularly, dotting the hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Usage in medicine and health

Amaltas is also known as Aragvadha or “disease killer.” It has many Ayurvedic and therapeutic properties. The bark of the tree has anti-inflammatory and healing properties with applications in medicines for arthritis. In fact, Amaltas flowers are also used in making delicious chutney.

Jasleen Kaur, the founder of Just Diet, a dietitian and nutritionist based in Delhi, talks about the myriad benefits and properties of Amaltas. “Amaltas is a wonder tree. During changing weather, it has various healing powers and is helpful in suppressing cough and cold, and is useful in fevers. During COVID-19while the Amaltas were blooming and people were indoors, this tree, its leaves, and its flowers came in handy to many people as its products provided immunity.”

Similarly, “Amaltas ka Atta” is helpful in constipation as it acts as a laxative. Moreover, because of its strong aromatic properties, the stems of Amaltas can be used as a substitute for naphthalene balls to ward off fabric insects, says Kaur. However, she mentions the need for precaution while using Amaltas in the case of pregnant mothers and patients with nausea and IBS issues.

According to the Journal of Pharmacognosy and PhytochemistryGulmohar has anti-bacterial and anti-diarrheal properties. Additionally, due to their rich scarlet and crimson pigments, Gulmohur flowers find their use in natural dyes and colours.

White Champa White Champa (Credit: Swasti Pachauri)

Similarly, in summer, the white and red, fragrant Champa or Plumerias bloom in abundance. According to the seminal work by DV Cowen titled ‘Flowering Trees and Shrubs in India,’ the Plumeria flowers and their barks are used in curing fevers with applications in rheumatism.

Floriculture and Floral Diplomacy

Floriculture is an essential step in the diversification of agriculture and, therefore, agricultural incomes and horticulture. Realising the ornamental value trees and flowers add to cityscapes, Delhi has become a favourite hotspot for flower shows.

Recently, with the G20 sustainability agenda, the Delhi Tourism Department, Government of Delhi hosted its First Bougainvillea Festival showcasing different varieties of Bougainvillea from April 14-16. Every year, the city also sees several private and governmental flower shows – the winter Chrysanthemum Show in December, the Delhi University Flower Show, and recently the Tulip flower show commemorating bilateral floral diplomacy between India and the Netherlands, with several varieties of Dutch tulips being showcased.

Exotic flowers and tulips were also abundant during the Amrit Udyan Utsav 2023 from January to March. Similarly, various tulips during February are seen in the Chanakya Puri area, further emphasising green or floral diplomacy.

The way forward

In order to create green oases within our cities, urban farms and forest livelihoods around urban forestry must be explored, which will also have an economic value around these trees and flowers. Far off in the central Indian plains are the Teak, Tendu, and Mahua trees – the latter known for its aromatic yellow flowers offering a source of livelihood to tribal and forest self-help groups (SHGs) and communities. This can provide a vast scope for horticulturalists to grow fruits and flowers and explore areas such as apiculture and aquaponics in our lakes – while creating sustainable livelihood options for urban SHGs while contributing to green capital in the cities. Concepts of Yogic Kheti, Miyawaki urban forests, ayurvedic herbal nurseries and livelihoods, sustainable kitchen gardens in schools, Anganwadi centres, and millet farms in colleges and institutions have the potential to transform not only the green cityscapes but also address food security concerns in the longer run.

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