There are around 20 Akasha Mallige / Indian Cork trees lining our apartment compound. The ground is covered with these lovely fragrant flowers. It is a treat to see the tall trees in full bloom.
Plant Summary:
Another apt name for this is Tree Jasmine. In Hindi is it called as Neem Chameli and the botanical name is Millingtonia Hortensis belonging to the family Bignonicaceae*. The botanical name is derived from the 18th Century English botanist, Thomas Millington and `Hortensis` means, “grown in gardens”. These evergreen trees are native to Burma. The trees add ornamental value to towns and cities and hence it is planted in lanes, gardens and avenues. It grows tall and straight to a height of 24 meters.
The bark of the tree is cracked and uneven and produces an inferior cork. The leaves of the tree are also pretty about 2 to 7 cm long. Bloom time is from April till December. Flowers are in clusters at the tip of branches. They bloom in the night and fall in the early morning. The flowers are like long bells with 4 petals and stamens. The flowers are white.
The fruit of the tree is long and narrow capsules with thin flat seeds. The wood of the tree is used for furniture and interior designing work.
*Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising of about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Jacaranda is another example of Bignoniaceae.
Related Images:
wow you have a natural freshner at your space then 🙂 Nice
Lavanya
http://www.lavsblog.com
We call this as “Panneer maram” in tamil and grown specifically for the fragrant flowers. Especially, after a evening rain its just aromatic around it. Bangalore is filled with these….
Thank you Narayanaswamy for the information. And yes, they are just heavenly….
Lavanya it is great to have this tree in your surroundings
Dear Shantha,
In West Bengal this is called ‘Akash Mallika’ we have some such plants in our ancestral place ‘Mahanad’ , about fifty kilometres away from Kolkata. My Grandfather Dr. Prabhas Chandra Bandyopadhyay planted the mother plant seventy six years ago. That tree fell down in heavy storm in 2009. The other trees are there.
Please tell me the exact pronunciation of ‘ge’ in Mallige in Kanada language. Is it equivalent to ‘ ka’ in Bangla?
Regards,
Dr. P.K.Bandyopadhyay
Hello Dr. P.K.Bandyopadhyaay,
I am honored to have a visitor like you to my website. Thank you for sharing information about this tree. I have very emotional attachment to trees that I have been seeing for years.
Pronounciation of “ge” is not “ka”, it is pronounced as “gay”. Malligay. Hope this helps.
Regards,
Shantha
Dear Shantha,
I am very glad to read your response. . I benefited from it. You may be interested to know that I have written poems in Bangla on that tree which we call ‘Aakash mallika’ (the same tree as shown in the pictures in your site). In fact, the name of that book on poetry is ‘Sei Aakash mallika’. The name of my Flat in Kolkata is also ‘Aakash mallika’. That is the kind of attachment. So I dared to interact with you.
Thanks and regards
Dr. P.K.Bandyopadhyay
Wow! wonderful to know that you are a poet. My mother is a great fan of Bengali literature and she has read many books that are translated to Kannada and English. Her love for Bengali literature has rubbed on me too and the recent book that I read was “Choker Bali” by Sri Rabindranath Tagore. I intent to read more…
Hope I can read and understand the poem that you have written on Akash Mallika, which is a favorite tree of ours too.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Regards,
Shantha
Great to know that you have some exposure to Bangla literature. and that too, Tagore’s ‘Chokher Bali’
At the moment I am a little busy in writing a book. As soon as I am free, I will translate a couple of my poems on Akash mallika in English and send them to your mail Id for your perusal Akash mallika–akash mallige is a nice cementing factor.
Best wishes and regards,
Dr. P.K.Bandyopadhyay.
Wonderful to hear that you will be translating the poem to English, Sir. I am waiting to read it.
Thanks and regarding,
Shantha
This plant drought resistant also. I planted one sapling in my farm . For last three years I have not taken care of it because of severe drought. I forgot it. This year after pre mansoon showers it grew like anything. I astonished by its tremendous growth potential. Hoping for flowers now !
Thanks for sharing your experience.
can I get this plant??
Such a wonderful post about a wonderful flowering tree! Does anyone know when is the first time for the new plant to flower?