The Red Silk Cotton or Bombax, is a
native of India and Malaysia and flowers between the months of January
and March. The Silk Cotton is commonly called the “Booruga” in Kannada.
This tree gets completely leafless and bursts ablaze in a riot of large cup-shaped red/crimson flowers. These simple yet alluring flowers attract a variety of birds creating a constant symphony of bird-song during the peak flowering season. The next time you spy a Silk Cotton, don't miss stopping by, to try your luck at sighting some interesting birds...
The large green fruit of this tree look strange as they dangle mostly in pairs and when they dry and turn brown, they burst and spread out tiny seeds with soft strands of fluffy silk/cotton attached to them creating an ethereal sight.
As kids I remember fixing the the green cup-shaped calyx around the buttons on our dresses and collecting these lovely flowers by the bushel... And not to forget how we used to entertain ourselves for hours with the soft silky fluff from the pods... As an artist I have sketched/painted/coloured this majestic tree and the elegant flowers a number of times. More than the flowers, I find the light umber trunk with it's interesting rough spiked bark full of character! I love the way the slender spiky branches form an aesthetic maze and could stand for hours under the tree admiring these lovely lil nuances... :)
It has been claimed that virtually every part of this tree has medicinal value!
The handsome Silk cotton featured in this album stands tall outside the old Karnataka Science College Boys hostel near the Jai Bala Bheem Vyayamshaala.
This tree gets completely leafless and bursts ablaze in a riot of large cup-shaped red/crimson flowers. These simple yet alluring flowers attract a variety of birds creating a constant symphony of bird-song during the peak flowering season. The next time you spy a Silk Cotton, don't miss stopping by, to try your luck at sighting some interesting birds...
The large green fruit of this tree look strange as they dangle mostly in pairs and when they dry and turn brown, they burst and spread out tiny seeds with soft strands of fluffy silk/cotton attached to them creating an ethereal sight.
As kids I remember fixing the the green cup-shaped calyx around the buttons on our dresses and collecting these lovely flowers by the bushel... And not to forget how we used to entertain ourselves for hours with the soft silky fluff from the pods... As an artist I have sketched/painted/coloured this majestic tree and the elegant flowers a number of times. More than the flowers, I find the light umber trunk with it's interesting rough spiked bark full of character! I love the way the slender spiky branches form an aesthetic maze and could stand for hours under the tree admiring these lovely lil nuances... :)
It has been claimed that virtually every part of this tree has medicinal value!
The handsome Silk cotton featured in this album stands tall outside the old Karnataka Science College Boys hostel near the Jai Bala Bheem Vyayamshaala.
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