Posted : October 2010
Author : tonyleather
One of the wonders of nature, the cannonball tree is an
unusual and definitely strange member of the Brazil nut family that is sacred
in some religions.
Nature can provide us at times with the most spectacular
examples of flora and fauna. One wonderful exemplar in point is a species of
tree that is native to the southern Caribbean and northern parts of South
America, yet has been known in India
for at least 3,000 years, where it is so revered that it is often found growing
at religious temples.
The name of this glorious tree is very indicative of the
characteristics it displays. Popularly referred to as the ‘cannonball tree’
because not only are the fruits as large, round and heavy as their namesakes,
but when falling to the earth, they often do so with loud and explosive noises.
Naturally, such trees are not planted next to footpaths, because a falling
fruit could easily cause a fatal injury.
Perhaps the curiosity provoked by this strange tree comes
from the fact that the fruit appears to be developing straight from the trunk
of the tree as opposed to normal fruit trees like the apple, but also in that
the fruit has a truly awful stench to it, unlike the flowers. These too, are
extremely odd, developing in enormous bunches of up to twelve feet long, and
are very brightly colored with strong, sweet scented blooms.
This wonderfully quirky tree can be found in many botanical
gardens around the globe and got its Latin name Couroupita guianensis from
French explorer and botanist J.F. Aublet in 1775 when he discovered it. An evergreen
tree, it is a member of the Brazil-nut tree family.
Bark, leaves and flowers have by long tradition been used
for medicinal purposes. Said to have anti-bacterial, antiseptic and analgesic
qualities, the bark supposedly cures colds, the juice from its leaves is good
for treating malaria and for skin diseases, while chewing young leaves
alleviates toothache, and the interior of the fruit can disinfect wounds.
Also more than a little weird is the peculiar fact that the
flowers of the tree have no nectar within them. They do, however, contain
pollen, carried mainly by bees, which is so abundant that the bees use it as a
ready source of nourishment while getting thoroughly coated during their meal,
and thus cross-fertilizing other tree flowers. The beauty of the system is that
the pollen used as food is infertile, but can only be got out through the
fertile stuff.
These amazing trees are commonly found in Shiva temples in India and also around Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hindus regard it as the
sacred tree because the flower petals resemble the hood of the ‘Naga’, a sacred
snake protecting the stigma known as the ‘Shiva lingham’. Bhuddists, however,
sometimes confuse the cannonball tree with the sala tree, under which Buiddha
Vessabhu gained enlightenment. Neither fruit nor flowers actually grow directly
from the trunk, but on a thick extrusion that develops from it. The flowers,
although large, do not appear to have need of the strong support these
extrusions provide, but as the fruits develop, the necessity for this strength
becomes clear. When the fruits ripen and fall, they usually burst open with a
loud crack, and the foul smell they give off attracts animals that spread the
seeds within the fruit via their dung.
These fabulous trees are well worth looking for, though it
is hardly advisable to be standing below them during the time when the ripe
fruits, which can weigh several kilos, come plummeting down to the earth below.
Warning signs are often posted near cannonball trees, to keep people at a safe
distance. The wonders of the natural world are endless and inspiring, and this
wonderful tree is indeed a wonder. Keep an eye out, if you are ever in the
areas where they grow.
~Blog Admin~
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