Nature Diary: Amaltas, The Golden Shower Tree!

Oh ‘ Amaltas tree you are so beautiful and yellow bright with large flowers together in a cluster lengthy and hanging high

You are in every Malayalee heart and are truly Kerala’s pride

You are not just an ornamental tree but have many medicinal properties to be precise

Looking at nature’s game you smile as your seeds stored in a hard funnel make a rattling noise and the children smile.

There is no comparison to your beauty be it day or night

As your flowers remain in bloom for days together and not just for a while

You are very auspicious and truly divine as you form part of Vishu celebrations and wishing everyone with you is a delight.

So deep in my heart I wish to plant you so that looking at your lovely bloom we feel happy and warm.

A small poetry by my me in appreciation of this tree.

Well we all just finished exchanging Vishu greeting – Malayalee People’s New Year Celebration. In Sanskrit language Vishu means equal and it is not only a festival for Malayalees. The festival is celebrated all across India albeit with different names. In Assam Vishu festival is celebrated as Bihu where as in Punjab the festival is recalled as Baisakhi.

One of the prominent things that feature in Vishu celebrations are the yellow flowers of Amaltas also known as Indian Laburnum (Cassia Fistula/बहावा, स्वर्णपुष्पी) or The Golden shower tree. Amaltas is one of the most beautiful of our indigenous trees; it adds colour to our hills during the drier and hotter spells of summer. The tree drops most of its leaves in winter and starts producing shiny green leaves early summer. The feathery leaves of Cassia Fistula are usually large and wide. Soon the plant starts blooming and these last till the end of summer season.  During the flowering season, the whole tree is covered with large clusters of numerous delicate yellow flowers. The profuse and bright flowers of Amaltas shine bright under the hot sun of summer, giving a spectacular show. The flowers fall and cover the ground in a yellow carpet, which is why, Cassia Fistula is also known as The Golden Shower tree.

These flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and small birds. Amaltas shares a wonderful relationship with Ants as the tree provides them with a safe haven, while the ants reciprocate by breathing out carbon dioxide thus contributing to a significant share of carbon and nitrogen for the trees.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Amaltas tree is known as aragvadha, which means disease killer. Its fruit pulp is used as a mild laxative, used against fevers, arthritis, vatavyadhi (nervous system diseases), all kinds of rakta-pitta (bleeding, such as hematemesis or hemorrhages), as well as cardiac conditions and stomach problems such as acid reflux. The root is used in various skin diseases, while its leaves form an important part of many ointments. The bark of the tree has astringent properties. Amaltas is the state flower of Kerala and is the national tree of Thailand. The flowers are of ritual importance in the Vishu festival of Kerala which is considered as the first day of the Zodiac calendar.

The use of flowers for decorating hair is a specialty in Bihar, Gujarat and several other states. According to Guajarati folk songs Lord Rama fell in love with Sita Devi seeing a beautiful floral decoration in her hair. Just recently one of my friend gave me a long, dark brown, cylindrical shape and said that it was the seed pod of the golden shower tree. I was surprised to look at it. It was hard skinned and would not break on its own. I wondered then how does nature disperses these seeds without human intervention and then I read an interesting fact related to the fruits of Amaltas. Well the seeds are enclosed in a sweet pulp which has laxative properties. In forests, this sweet pulp is the main attraction for sloth bears and jackals. They eat the pods along with the seeds and pass them through their Gastro-Intestinal tract. The seeds are then dropped out at different places by these animals. This is also the case with many other trees whose seeds are dispersed in this manner by various birds and creatures. If we want to plant this tree in cities however, we need to collect the seed pods, break them open and soak the seeds in boiling water for 5 minutes and then in cold water for 24 hour before sowing them.This will help germinate the seeds faster.

The tree is very useful in Apiculture. It is often utilized for shade or for a windbreak. It also gives excellent quality charcoal and tannin. The leaves provide green manure. Unlike many of the other Native trees, I found Amaltas widely planted in public gardens and societies near my place. In fact I remember my father in law mentioning to me as to how The Laburnum Road in Mumbai has been exclusively lined with Amaltas trees and hence named so. To commemorate this tree, a postal stamp has been issued by the Indian Postal Department. Well here is some food for thought – a recipe with amaltas flowers:

Amaltas fritters

Ingredients:

A handful of freshly picked Amaltas flowers

3 cups Besan (Gram flour)

4 Green chilies (Chopped)

1/2 teaspoon Nigella seeds (kalonji) – Optional

1 cup Water

Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Wash the flowers thoroughly.

2. Blend all the ingredients (including the flowers) into a thick batter.

3. Heat oil in a wok (or Indian kadai) and drop small lumps of the batter into it for frying.

4. Deep fry the fritters

5. Serve hot – preferably with green chutney or ketchup.

For those of u who would like to feel and smell Amaltas flowers throughout the year, you can try making this easy Amaltas perfume:

Ingredients:

2 cups of freshly picked Amaltas flowers

2 cups of Distilled water

An empty perfume bottle (for storing)

Method:

1. Wash the flowers thoroughly.

2. Put the flowers and distilled water into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat to a simmer (don’t cook the flowers – that will

ruin the scent).

3. Let them simmer for around two hours, checking periodically to make sure the pot hasn’t run out of water.

4. Turn off the heat and cool the contents.

5. Strain contents through a muslin cloth to remove the solid bits.

6. Pour the remaining liquid into an empty perfume bottle.

7. Use as you would any regular perfume!

Incidentally, this works for any kind of fragrant flowers.

So this hot summer don’t just admire the beauty of this tree, but collect the seed pods and propagate this tree so that in coming years during the summers you can experience a shower of flowers under this Golden shower tree. This will not only relieve you of the heat, but also boost your immunity. Not to forget they would be extremely pleasing and relaxing to your eyes.

Let’s make this State flower of God’s own country – Kerala, bloom in every nook and corner India.

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Picture source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com, http://www.tradewindsfruit.com