Trees used by Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav
Gandhian Scholar
Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India
Contact No. 09404955338
E-mail- [e-mail]
Trees used by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was a very fond of tree. He had learnt qualities
of many tree plants. He used it in his life. He awarded to people to
plant it. I am researching it. These are some tree used by Mahatma
Gandhi.
1. Mango Tree: Mango trees are very popular in India. It’s growing
up to 35–40 m tall. It is long-lived. Some specimens still fruit after
300 years. It is going up to 6 m into depth. It has dark green leaves.
It gives very sweet fruits. It takes time for ripen three to six
months. Indian people call it king of the fruits. It found every part
of India.
2. Banyan Tree: It is common tree of India. It found everywhere.
The leaves of the banyan tree are large, leathery, glossy green and
elliptical in shape. Like most fig-trees, the leaf bud is covered by
two large scales. As the leaf develops the scales fall. Young leaves
have an attractive reddish tinge. Older banyan trees are
characterized by their aerial prop roots that grow into thick woody
trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the
main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop
roots to cover a wide area.
3. Upas Tree: Antiaris toxicaria is the biological name of Upas Tree.
It is found in the warmer southern and eastern areas including
Island. It is called Upas tree. The name Antiaris is derived directly
from the Javanese language. There are several other botanical
names of it. So it is planted in every warmer country.
4. Plantain Tree: Plantain is the common name for herbaceous
plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used
for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana (which is
sometimes referred to as the dessert banana). There is no formal
botanical distinction between bananas and plantains, and the use of
either term is based purely on how the fruits are consumed.
Plantains are a major food staple in equatorial Africa and Andean
regions. Their attractiveness as food is that they fruit all year
round, making them more reliable all-season staple food. This is
particularly important for communities living in mountains or
forests with inadequate food storage, preservation and
transportation technologies.
5. Almond Tree: The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle
East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and
widely cultivated seed of this tree. The fruit of the almond is a
drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed or
nut inside. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal
the seed.
6. Neem Tree: Neem is a fast-growing tree. It is evergreen, but in
severe drought it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves. The
branches are wide spread. The fairly dense crown is roundish or
ovular and may reach the diameter of 15–20 metres in old, freestanding
specimens.
7. Sal Tree: Sal is one of the most important sources of hard wood
timber in India, with hard, coarse-grained wood that is light in
colour when freshly cut, but becomes dark brown with exposure.
The wood is resinous and durable, and is sought-after for
construction, although not well suited to planning and polishing.
The wood is especially suitable for constructing frames for doors
and windows. The dry leaves of sal are a major source for the
production of leaf plates and leaf bowls in northern and eastern
India.
8. Babul Tree: Acacia nilotica is the biological name of babul. The
generic name of this plant derives from akakia, the name given by
early Greek botanist-physician. It is became the type species for
the Linnaean acacia genus.
9. Mahua Tree: Madhuca longifolia, commonly known as mahwa or
mahua, is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central and
north Indian plains and forests. It is a fast-growing tree that grows
to approximately 20 meters in height, possesses evergreen or semievergreen
foliage, and belongs to the family sapotaceae. It is
adapted to arid environments, being a prominent tree in tropical
mixed deciduous forests in India in the states of Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat
and Orissa
10. Kalpavriksha: Kalpavriksha also known as kalpataru,
kalpadruma and kalpapādapa, is a mythological, and divine tree. It
was mentioned in Sanskrit literature from the earliest sources
onwards. A kalpavriksha is mentioned in the Sanskrit work
Manasara as a royal emblem. One Kalpavriksh is believed to be
have been planted by Jagadguru Shankaracharya himself at
Jyotirmath, Badrinath, Uttaranchal in the cradle of the Himalayas.
It has been preserved and protected by Armed forces by installing
a wire mesh around the tree. The unique property of the tree is that
it never loses a single leaf by itself, it is evergreen and is said to be
emanating the deep seated devotion of Shankaracharya for the
Supreme Godhead Vishnu.
11. Shisham Tree: Dalbergia sissoo is a deciduous rosewood
tree. It is known as shisham, sisu, sheesham, tahli, or Irugudujava.
It is the state tree of Punjab state (India) and the provincial tree of
Punjab province. It is primarily found growing along river banks
below 900 metres shisham can grow in slightly saline soils.
Seedlings are intolerant of shade.
12. Oak Tree: An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus. Oak may
also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably
Lithcarpus. The genus is native to the Northern Hemisphere and
includes delicious and evergreen. Species extending from cool
temperate to tropical latitudes in Asia and the America. Oaks have
spirally arranged leaves with lobed margins in many species; some
have serrated leaves or entire leaves with smooth margins. Many
deciduous species are marcescent not dropping dead leaves until
spring.
13. Agaru Tree: In view of the World Environment Day on June
5, there is a growing clamour for declaring Agaru an endangered
tree that is used in manufacturing perfume and other cosmetic
products, a state tree. Hundreds of such manuscripts made of bark
from Agaru tree were recovered and are considered as valuable
documents of ancient Assam. The tree has another commercial
value. A ten-year old Agaru costs Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000. Such
Agaru trees were found in large number in Golaghat, Jorhat,
Sonitpur, Nagaon districts of Assam. But rampant falling of such
trees now poses threat to its existence. Oil is extracted from the
tree and this raw oil is sent to industries based in the Gulf countries
including Saudi Arabia. After processing, it is used in perfume and
other cosmetics for its beautiful smell.
14. Cotton Tree: The Cotton Tree is an historic symbol of
Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. According to legend,
the Cotton Tree gained importance in 1792. According to tradition,
they landed on the shoreline and walked up to a giant tree just
above the bay and held a thanksgiving service there, gathering
around the tree in a large group and praying and singing hymns to
thank God for their deliverance to a free land. Its exact age is
unknown, but it is known to have existed in 1787. Today, a huge
Cotton Tree stands in the oldest part of Freetown near the Supreme
Court building, music club building and the National Museum.
Sierra Leonians believe that this very tree was where the Nova
Scotian settlers prayed more than two hundred years ago, and they
regard it as the symbol of their capital city.
15. Ashvattha Tree: This is that eternal Asvattha Tree with its
root above and branches below. That root, indeed, is called the
Bright that is Brahman, and that alone is the Immortal. In that all
worlds are contained, and none can pass beyond. This verily is
that. In the beginning verses of Book XV, Krishna teaches his
friend Arjuna the understanding of the Tree of the Universe or the
Tree of Samsara. Samsara is this relative universe with its endless
cycles of births and deaths. Asvattha is the Sanskrit name for the
Peepal fig tree and is familiar to all Indians. It has heart-shaped
leaves and its fruit is purple when ripe. The Peepal tree was first
depicted on a seal discovered at Mohenjodaro, a city of the Indus
civilization (3000 BC - 1700 BC). Its leaves are applied to wounds
after being heated in ghee. It sends its branches down to the earth
below, and is the Buddha’s Bodhi tree Krishna says that the leaves
of this metaphorical tree are the sacred hymns of Vedas. Its
branches are nourished by the three gunas and its twigs, which
sprout branches are said to be the objects of the five senses. In
Samkhya, the things of this world are never separate from the
senses, through which they are perceived. It is the ‘operation’ of
the five senses on ‘their’ objects that makes the temporal illusory
hologram perceptible to our human consciousness.
16. Apple Tree: The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple
tree. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most
widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used
by humans. Apples grow on small, deciduous trees. Apples have
been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were
brought to North America by European colonists. There are more
than 7,500 known variety of apples, resulting in a range of desired
characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and
uses, including in cooking, fresh eating. Apples are often eaten
raw, but can also be found in many foods (especially desserts) and
drinks. Many beneficial health effects have been found from eating
apples; however, the seeds are slightly poisonous and two forms of
allergies are seen to various proteins found in the fruit.
17. Palm Tree: Arecaceae or Palmae are a family of flowering
plant the only family in the monocot order Arecales. Most palms
are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen arranged at
the top of an unbranched stem. However, many palms are
exceptions, as palms in fact exhibit an enormous diversity in
physical characteristics. As well as being morphologically diverse,
palms also inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range.
Palms are among the best known and most extensively cultivated
plant families. They have been important to humans throughout
much of history. Many common products and foods are derived
from palms, and palms are also widely used in landscaping for
their exotic appearance, making them one of the most
economically important plants.
18. Khajoor Tree: The date palm is a palm in the genus
phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. It is known as khajoor
among people. Although its place of origin is unknown because of
long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the
Persian Gulf.
19. Toddy Tree: Palm wine also called palm toddy also called
kallu, or simply toddy, is an alcoholic beverage created from the
sap of various species of palm tree. This drink is common in
various parts of Asia and Africa. On the other hand, palm wine
production by small holders and individual farmers may promote
conservation as palm trees become a source of regular household
income that may economically be worth more than the value of
timber sold.
20. Peepal Tree: The Sacred Fig species of banyan fig is native
to India and its neighbor country. It belongs to the mulberry
family. It is also known as Bo-Tree or Peepal. In India Buddhist
legend tells of Bhagwan Buddha attained enlightment under this
tree. In present day Bodh Gaya is situated northern India. The
Indian saints still meditate beneath sacred fig trees, and Hindus do
circumambulation around the sacred fig tree as a mark of worship.
Usually seven pradakshinas are done around the tree in the
morning time.
21. Palmyra Tree: Borassus is a genus of six species of fan
palms native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. They are tall
palms, capable of growing up to 30 m high. The leaves of it are
long, fan-shaped, 2 to 3 m in length. The flowers are small, in
densely clustered spikes, followed by large, brown, roundish fruits.
Palmyra palms are economically useful and widely cultivated in
tropical regions.
References:
1. Indian Opinion, 14-10-1905
2. Indian Opinion, 6-7-1907
3. VOL. 10 : 5 AUGUST, 1909 - 9 APRIL, 1910; Page- 277
4. Indian Opinion, 19-7-1913
5. LETTER TO JAMNADAS GANDHI March 17, 1914
6. LETTER TO JAMNADAS GANDHI; March 22, 1914
7. The Pioneer, 25-7-1917
8. VOL. 16 : 1 SEPTEMBER, 1917 - 23 APRIL, 1918; Page- 287
9. LETTER TO J. GHOSAL; March 9, 1918
10. SPEECH AT KATHLAL; June 28, 1918
11. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, 20; Page : 152
12. LETTER TO MAHADEV DESAI; May 15, 1920
13. VOL. 24 : 22 JULY, 1921 - 25 OCTOBER, 1921; Page- 147
14. 436 THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, Vol- 28; Page- 436
15. October 3, 1926
16. VOL. 44 : 16 JANUARY, 1929 - 3 FEBRUARY, 1929; Page- 235
17. SPEECH AT DANDI April 5, 1930
18. SPEECH AT AMBHETI; April 26, 1930
19. VOL.49 :3 APRIL, 1930 -22 AUGUST, 1930; Page- 199
20. VOL. 55 : 10 FEBRUARY, 1932 - 15 JUNE, 1932; Page- 491
21. Harijan, 23-11-1934