Nizhal conducted a Tree awareness walk at the luscious green Indira Nagar park on July 27. T.D.Babu – Nizhal’s Trustee took the session to orient and sensitise park walkers about the importance of the various trees and their unique features. Some of the trees covered include:
- Poonga: A very common tree in Indira Nagar, this tree brings down the ambient temperature by at least 2oC. It is also an oil-yielding tree. Its seeds are tied around the waist of the children to ward off evil spirits.
- Iluppai: Also known as the Indian Butter Tree, oil and butter are extracted from its seeds. It is said that Saint Thiruvalluvar was found as a child under the iluppai tree. Even now the tree’s dead stump is seen inside the Thiruvalluvar temple, Mylapore.
- Copper Pod: It is not an indigenous tree, but is commonly seen as an avenue tree with dense foliage and yellow flowers, from which dye is extracted. Though beautiful and providing shade, it cannot withstand strong winds as it has shallow roots and is exotic.
- Nettilingam: Often misunderstood as the Ashoka Tree, this tree is actually called the Mast Tree. It has anti-bacterial properties and abates noise, thus used mostly in the peripherals of educational institutions.
- Neem: It is a village’s pharmacy renowned for its many medicinal and insect-repelling properties.
- Tamarind: It is not an indigenous tree. In earlier times, the trees lined along the roads contributed majorly to the rural economy. As the tree produces a lot of heat, it is not recommended to sleep under the tree at night.
- Trumpet flower: It has prolific pink / white flowers in season. It can be found at the Adyar signal junction and Anna University. The tree is tall and its branches are brittle.
Magizham: The tree is renowned for its medicinal properties and its flowers are used in the perfume industry. It is the stala vriksha at Madhuranthakam’s Erikaatha Ramar temple and an annual ritual called Magizhadi sevai is performed for this tree in Thyagarajar Temple at Thiruvottriyur.
