Tree Empire

                                      B ANYAN  Scientific Name - Ficus benghalensis  Common Name - Banyan , Bargad Family Name - Moraceae (Fig family) Bark -   Grey or silvery  Relatively smooth and becomes flaky when it grows older  Underbark is pink when exposed  Leaf -  When first emerge shielded by two large leaves  Leaf can be 20 cm long but usually 14 cm Broadly oval with a heart shaped or round base Leaves become firm leathery and smooth when mature   Fig -  More or less spherical  2 cm long  Grows in pairs from leaf axis  Origin - Unknown  Range -   All Indian forests both moist and dry  Growing Condition -  Can grow up to 1300 m in mountainous areas   Grows best in loamy soils but can tolerate a variety of soils and dry conditions  Uses - Latex is applied to bruises and cracked soles and to relieve rheumatic pain   The tree is also used for worship by Hindus 

                                                                                                            Saptiparni         Scientific Name - Alistonia Scholaris  Common Name - Saptaparni , Devil's tree  Family Name -  Apocynaceae (  Oleander family )  Bark -  Pale and greyish -brown  Has a distinctive pattern  Trunk releases milky latex when injured  Leaf - Have 4-8 leaflets  Attached to the stem like spokes of a wheel  Leaf is 25 cm long ,dark green and glossy but duller below   Flower -  Small greenish - white  Tightly packed in clusters at end  Strongly scented especially in the evenings  Fruit -  Slim follicles present in pairs   40 cm long    Follicles open to reveal flat seeds with wings to assist them on their       journey  Origin - Sub Himalyan tract and the Western ghats to Malaysia , Indoneshia to Northern Australia  Range - Introduced in metropolitan cities in India s