The grand white cotton silk tree.
A 200-year-old tree that stands tall at one of Bangalore’s oldest gardens, the Lalbagh Gardens, which might have had an injury to its trunk at some point in time but seems like it never gave up because the branches spread out right from across the roots that are spread out over a very large area. The peculiar shape of the tree makes it very unique and one that is hard to miss. If you ever happen to visit Lalbagh, do make it a point to see this tree, one of the 15 odd Cotton Silk trees that the garden boasts of.
I was stumped by the sheer beauty of the tree and the fact that it made me think how we can work around our imperfections so admirably!
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Joining Parul today for her #ThursdayTreelove post, which is a photo feature on Parul’s blog and is hosted on 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. where you get to see many other beautiful trees from many different places.
wow thats a lovely tree… I have been to lalbagh, missed out on this tree.. next time sure I would love to visit this tree… great capture:)
Thanks, Angela. Please do. You”ll know what I mean in my post. 🙂
This tree looks magnificent. I have visited Lal Bagh twice and I must have seen this tree but I am not able to recall. I am intrigued by the word cotton silk. Cotton comes from plants which are not trees in any form and silk comes from silkworms, so what grows upon a cotton silk tree?
It is very beautiful, Anamika. This is one tree I’ve seen in plenty all over the North-East. The tree actually produces a capsule which, once ripened, contains white fibres like cotton, so perhaps it has got the name Cotton attached to it. But why silk-Cotton as a name I have no idea, except that it is quite ambiguous when referred to as silk-cotton. In Bengali we call this tree ‘Shimul’ and in Hindi, it is ‘Semal’. Traditionally they make pillows out of the cotton from this tree, esp for babies (I used to have one, apparently!). Even the wood from this tree is so soft that they can only make matchsticks with it. Interesting, no?
I have seen this tree.. its wonderful.. difficult to capture the entire canopy in one frame.. Great shot!
Yes, Archana. The entire tree can never fit in one frame hence this! 😊
It’s so beautiful and magnificent.I must have seen this one long back when I visited Lal bagh. The size, the way it is flexible is all so unique. Thank you for such a beautiful entry this week, Esha!
Thanks, Parul. Happy to know you liked it. It is grand – the way it stands is rather regal…they’ve accorded it a place that makes it quite unique! As always, happy to join #TTL, Parul. 🙂
The Red Silk Cotton tree in full bloom around summer time makes the Western Ghats look a flaming red. I love this tree and it’s soft cotton that I always use as a filling for my pillow.
Oh yes, Sunita. It does…it is quite a spectacularly beautiful tree in its own way and so useful when you think of the number of ways it can be used…so many products that come from it…the wood and the cotton and matchsticks, of course!
Wow! The hugeness of the tree does leave me overawed! Each time I spot such huge trees, I think the kind of life they must have witnessed, the changes they must have experienced…they do look like some old-timers, watching the world grow right in front of their eyes!
Absolutely, Shilpa. Such a tree must have so much history behind itself…it must have witnessed so much over the past 200 years. The tree is very beautiful, you know. You cannot take your eyes off when you see something as exceptionally striking as this tree.
I’ve been to Lalbagh but somehow missed this tree! Shall make a special note of this next time.
It’s stunning!
Thanks, Shailaja. Glad to see you stopping by the blog. I can tell you, you’ll love the tree…the sheer beauty is eye-catching!
Another new tree for me. I love it. So magestic!
It is, Alana. I know you’ll love it. It has a history behind it.
Love love love love this tree! The branches are amazing!
So glad you do. Thank you so much. 🙂
I’ve seen this, Esha! It is intriguing. I love photographing trees and Lalbagh is full of beautiful ones! Your photo is fantastic!
Oh, thats lovely, Vidya. Yes, quite a few of us have actually been a witness to this tree’s presence in Lalbagh…Thanks a lot for your appreciation, Vidya.
I have seen this tree when we visited Lalbagh years ago. Such a magnificent look it has! Great capture, Esha.
Have you, Vinitha? That’s lovely to know. Thanks a lot for your appreciation, Vinitha.
I have never seen a cotton Silk tree.This is beautiful Esha.
Oh really, Amrita? It is absolutely beautiful. The flowers more so. They are white, red and even orange sometimes. The wood is very light and very useful to make matchsticks even.