India GOTrees of Goa
Matti (crocodile bark tree)
The state tree of Goa, called matti in Konkani. Its grey bark is cracked into deep rectangles like crocodile skin, which is how it is recognised from a moving car on the Ghat roads.
Terminalia elliptica
Coconut palm
Goa reclassified the coconut palm as a tree in law after a public campaign over its removal from the protected list, a rare case of a plant's legal category becoming a political argument.
Cocos nucifera
Cashew
Cashew was brought to Goa by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century and is now the base of feni, distilled from the cashew apple between February and May. Feni has a registered geographical indication tied to Goa.
Anacardium occidentale
Grey mangrove
The Salim Ali sanctuary on Chorao was once paddy land behind earthen bunds; when the tides broke them and farming stopped, mangroves took over the fields, and grey mangrove is now the dominant species there, especially in the upper tidal zone.
Avicennia marina
Teak
Teak built the ships of the Indian Ocean trade and the woodwork of Kerala and Konkan houses; crushed young leaves give a blood-red dye.
Tectona grandis
Jackfruit
Goans sort jackfruit into two kinds by the flesh: firm kaapo, eaten ripe, and soft, pulpy rassal, used in sweets or cooked as a vegetable while still unripe.
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Sonki
Sonki is picked for Ganesh Chaturthi in Goa and the Konkan, where the flowers are associated with Parvati; the bloom and the festival fall together, which is why the plant is so recognisable locally.
Senecio bombayensis
Frangipani
Brought from tropical America by the Portuguese, frangipani is planted around Goan churches and chapels and in temple courtyards alike, one of the few plants that reads as belonging to both.
Plumeria rubra / Plumeria alba
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