India GOTrees of Delhi
Jamun (Java plum)
Jamun is the avenue tree of Lutyens' Delhi: the deep shade over the central roads in June is almost all one species, and the purple stain on the pavement is the giveaway.
Syzygium cumini
Indian laburnum (golden shower)
The amaltas flowering is Delhi's calendar marker for the hottest weeks of the year: yellow chains on leafless trees along the ring roads through May and June.
Cassia fistula
Peepal (sacred fig)
The tree the Buddha sat under, and the tree Krishna names as himself among trees in the Bhagavad Gita. Peepals are almost never felled, which is why the biggest trees in an Indian city are usually this species.
Ficus religiosa
Red silk-cotton tree
In February and March a single flowering semal in a Delhi park will hold parakeets, mynas, treepies, squirrels and bulbuls at once: the easiest bird-watching in the city.
Bombax ceiba
Bougainvillea
Delhi keeps the world register of bougainvillea names: since 1966 the Indian Agricultural Research Institute here has been the international registration authority for its cultivars, and its checklist runs to more than 300 varieties.
Bougainvillea glabra
Madar (crown flower)
Aak flowers and leaves are offered to Shiva and to Hanuman, and the plant grows precisely where nothing is cultivated, so it is always within reach of a shrine.
Calotropis gigantea
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