What do Trees and their Leaves Remind You of?

Lime tree

The lime tree in my backyard evokes a lot of emotions. It is small, yet it is the favorite place for birds, especially hummingbirds. I assume it’s the fragrant flowers that attract them. The plant bears a lot of thorns, yet it gives fragrant flowers, flavorful leaves, and sweet limes. I never knew their flowers were this fragrant until I had one in the backyard. 

When I first met the lime tree, it had a lot of ripe fruits. We harvested them, filling a medium basket. I love sitting near the lime tree, sipping tea or coffee, and talking to it about many things without moving my lips. I guess it knows my emotions very well now. Sometimes, I wish it would grow faster so I could put a chair or sit on the pebbles and enjoy its shade. It’s now just my height. But I just want to tell the lime tree, please grow at your own pace!

Banana Plant

I’m an ardent fan of the banana plant. Its leaves give me immense happiness and take me down memory lane. The raindrops on the young banana leaves evoke emotions of nurturing, love, and romance. Temple rituals, marriages, baby naming ceremonies, and all ceremonies in the southern part of India feature the presence of the banana plant, whether it be the leaf, fruit, or stem. The green banana reminds me of the delicious recipes my grandmother used to make. Its flower reminds me of the nectar we children used to suck out, and the flower was used to make a recipe that is both healthy and tasty. Since childhood, I have seen the lush banana leaves and the plant, and every part of it is so good and useful. This plant is dear to me. Memories of making garlands of jasmine flowers with banana stem strings and seeing people making baskets with the stem are also cherished memories.

Touch Me Not

The touch-me-not plant is a part of the childhood of many children in the southern part of India. The plant has thorns, so we don’t pluck it, but when we touch the leaves, they shyly close down as if upset. Cows and cattle do not graze on it as they do on the grass. However, I do remember us plucking its beautiful flowers for the floral decorations for a festival called Onam, celebrated in Kerala, a southern state in India.

Quite ironically, the touch-me-not plant also has medicinal values, such as wound healing, as told by my grandmother.

Fishtail Palm

I have mostly seen this tree near the Sarpakavu (a sacred grove where snake gods are worshipped) in my ancestral home. The tall tree is a home for parrots, which I used to watch with great excitement in my childhood. The red beaks and green feathers were always fascinating for us kids. The fruit hanging from the palm tree often looked like long hair laid down, and it looked pretty beautiful. My grandfather used to tell folklore stories about how the long hair-like fruits resembled the hair of a Yakshi (a ghostly character, often an unhappy woman seeking revenge).

In my childhood, I also saw mahouts coming to our ancestral home to get palm leaves for the elephants, as they loved them. The gigantic land animals would chew the leaves, and their long walks would help break down the rich polysaccharides, aiding in digestion.

Plumeria

In my childhood, the plumeria plant was always looked upon with a lot of fear. It was mostly seen growing near the Sarpakavu (a sacred grove where snake gods are worshipped) and was often considered to be the abode of the Yakshi (female ghost characters in Kerala, India mythology). We were always told not to go near the plumeria plant or pluck its flowers because it was believed that a Yakshi resided there and might become angry or scare us.

Later, traveling the world and learning about other cultures and ethnicities taught me that the plumeria is actually a representation of love, harmony, and romance. Now, I even wear them in my hair.

Tulsi
The Tulsi plant brings to mind a nostalgic fragrance reminiscent of temples, sandalwood paste, and Tulsi leaves. Tulsi also has immense medicinal properties. In our household, we used Tulsi in various ways: steaming with Tulsi leaves, making hair oil with Tulsi, pepper, and shallots, and rubbing Tulsi on minor inflammations or ant bites was considered beneficial. Every evening, lighting a lamp near the Tulsi plant was a ritual, as Tulsi is considered the embodiment of the goddess Lakshmi in Hindu beliefs, particularly in Kerala, India.

Mango Tree

Childhood memories are filled with different varieties of mango trees. We kids used to climb them and sing songs while holding hands around the trees, hoping they would generously offer us the mangoes from the topmost branches. These songs were passed down from our parents. Whether we got the mangoes or not was another story, but we loved singing those songs together. Mango leaves had a peculiar smell, often resembling the mango itself, and we could guess the variety just by smelling the leaves. Our ancestors used the leaves as toothbrushes, and mangoes were pickled, used in various curries, and made into puddings. As kids, we were also fascinated by the “puliyan urumbu” (an ant variety known as weaver ants in English). The leaves were often curled up and housed plenty of these ants.

Drumstick Plant

The light leaves of the drumstick plant are a beautiful sight and bring me immense joy. The plant bears drumsticks that are used in various culinary delights and are extremely good for your health. Like many other plants, the drumstick plant is also a culinary marvel for Keralites (people from Kerala, India). The leaves, flowers, and fruit are all used in cooking.

Tamarind Plant

The tamarind tree was always an essential part of our backyard. It was a huge tree with small branches that we used to climb. The leaves had a distinctive tamarind taste, and the fruit, when dried, was used in various curries. The tree was a haven for squirrels and birds. In my ancestral home, tamarind leaves were used while boiling water for bathing, perhaps for their health benefits.

Tapioca

The tapioca plant was present in our backyard. Tapioca grows in the root, and there are many recipes made from it. The inflorescence of the leaf was what attracted me the most. Tapioca dishes were mostly enjoyed as evening snacks.

Bamboo

The lush bamboo was mostly seen near the pond. The musical sound it made when the wind swayed through its branches was quite soothing. The bamboo leaves are very beautiful, and if I had them now, I would decorate my flowerpots with them to add the touch of greenery my eyes need.

I love spending time in nature, simply marveling at its creations. The varying shades of green, the fruits it bears, the raindrops on the leaves, the caterpillars munching on them, the flowers, and the veins on the leaves all fascinate the nature lover in me. I can spend hours just watching them. Have you ever tried this? If not, give it a try. If you like worms and birds, they are there too. Nature is indeed a place worth spending time.

–Anju Nandakumar has a doctorate in Bioscience. She loves telling stories of women, nature, photography and traveling.