Amboli in Spring

I find amboli beautiful in every season.  Infact amboli looks different in every season.  Rain drenched amboli in July  is totally different from sun warmed Amboli in February.

I try to visit Amboli in every season though this dream has not yet materialised fully.

So, after lots of efforts, I could manage a visit during this february when spring is in full bloom in Amboli.

Some of of flora captured during my recent visit to Amboli in February 2019.

1. Memecylon umbellatum (अंजनी)

This beautiful tree is called आंजनी in marathi.


This tree is found in abundance in Amboli.  After the flowering, small 4-5 mm dia fruits can be seen on the tree which turn blue when ripe.

 Dried flowers look like this...

Fruits can be seen alonwith.

2. Acacia concinna:  this is very familiar climbing shrub which is called शिकेकाई in marathi.  I was always under impression that this is a tree, but it turned out a climbing shrub, which grows as a solid tree in the beginning but starts behaving like a vine later on.  It's dried pods are used in hair care products.

Amboli jungles are full of shikekai. The trees belong to no one but the fruits can be used by anyone.   In olden times, when I was a kid,  villagers used to perform one ritual before plucking dried shikekai pods.  Nobody used to touch shikekai pods before this ritual.  Don't know whether this custom is still followed.  

I think it was the best way to preserve nature, to use the fruits of nature only at correct time.  In cities, we find people plucking flower buds and raw fruits because they fear that if they don't pluck, someone else will pluck.  What a waste it is!!!!.

Below are some shots of flowers.  Buds are red and flowers are off white.

3.  Wedlandia thyrsoidea (शोवळा किंवा पेरी):

I must have seen this plant several times before but don't remember seeing  its bloom.   When I saw it I was really spellbound, I remembered the flowers in valley of flowers.

As per Flowers of India website, this is called in शोवळा किंवा पेरी in Marathi.