Cannonball Tree (Reng Phnom)
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For a long time, we thought that the reng phnom, the name of a tree given to us by a monk we met inside the King's Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was actually the ficus religiosa, or the bodhi tree (also known as peepal, pipal in some parts of Asia). We were fascinated by its peculiar appearance, especially the flowers that looked like fluttery eyes being popped from a tentacle anchored on the middle of the tree trunk.
But googling the ficus religiosa, I found out that the flowers do not behave like that. The leaves are not also heart-shaped, an identifying characteristic for the bodhi tree. Searching for reng phnom did not help any, but when I searched for the trees in the King’s Palace in Cambodia, I found someone at Flickr who identified it as a cannonball tree!
I am so happy to have identified it at last, and also fascinated that it is native to tropical northern South America, tropical America, the southern Caribbean and Southern India. Couroupita guianensis, the cannonball tree is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa),
Wikipedia describes the fruits and flowers growing to 30-35m tall, with leaves in whorls on the ends of the shoots. The flowers, which are borne only on special stems on the main trunk, are orange, scarlet or pink forming racemes up to 3 m long. They mature into large spherical woody fruit 15-24 cm diameter, containing numerous (200-300) seeds. The pulp of the fruits oxidizes bluish, and has an unpleasant smell.
Those who wish to plant these trees should not be plant them near paths or near traffic filled areas, as the heavy nut is known to fall without notice.
“The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. It is called the 'nagalingam' tree in Tamil. The flowers are called 'Shivalinga flowers', 'Nagamalli flowers' or 'Mallikarjuna flowers' in Telugu. It is considered a sacred tree among Hindus because the flower resembles a nagam or a sacred snake on the central large shiva lingam and numerous shivalingams around.”
According to Cambodians, this tree is only allowed to grow only in the King’s Palace or in sacred places like Buddhist temples. It is believed a broth made from their petals is a helpful tonic for pregnant women and the juice from the fruit is helpful in curing dogs afflicted with mange.
But googling the ficus religiosa, I found out that the flowers do not behave like that. The leaves are not also heart-shaped, an identifying characteristic for the bodhi tree. Searching for reng phnom did not help any, but when I searched for the trees in the King’s Palace in Cambodia, I found someone at Flickr who identified it as a cannonball tree!
I am so happy to have identified it at last, and also fascinated that it is native to tropical northern South America, tropical America, the southern Caribbean and Southern India. Couroupita guianensis, the cannonball tree is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa),
Wikipedia describes the fruits and flowers growing to 30-35m tall, with leaves in whorls on the ends of the shoots. The flowers, which are borne only on special stems on the main trunk, are orange, scarlet or pink forming racemes up to 3 m long. They mature into large spherical woody fruit 15-24 cm diameter, containing numerous (200-300) seeds. The pulp of the fruits oxidizes bluish, and has an unpleasant smell.
Those who wish to plant these trees should not be plant them near paths or near traffic filled areas, as the heavy nut is known to fall without notice.
“The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. It is called the 'nagalingam' tree in Tamil. The flowers are called 'Shivalinga flowers', 'Nagamalli flowers' or 'Mallikarjuna flowers' in Telugu. It is considered a sacred tree among Hindus because the flower resembles a nagam or a sacred snake on the central large shiva lingam and numerous shivalingams around.”
According to Cambodians, this tree is only allowed to grow only in the King’s Palace or in sacred places like Buddhist temples. It is believed a broth made from their petals is a helpful tonic for pregnant women and the juice from the fruit is helpful in curing dogs afflicted with mange.
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