LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
TREES
Terminalia Albizia Ficus
catappa lebbeck religiosa
Terminalia catappa
Plant Characteristics:
Tree:
It grows to 35 m tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and
horizontal branches. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more
flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are
distinctively arranged in tiers.
Leaves:
Size, shape, texture-The leaves are large, 15–25 cm long and 10–14
cm broad, ovoid, glossy dark green and leathery. They are dry-
season deciduous; before falling, they turn pinkish-reddish or
yellow-brown, due to pigments.
Flowers:
The flowers are 1 cm in diameter, white to greenish, inconspicuous
with no petals; they are produced on axillary or terminal spikes.
Fruits:
Has corky, light fruit that is dispersed by water. The nut within the
fruit is edible when fully ripe,tasting almost like almond. The fruit is
a drupe 5–7 cm long and 3–5.5 cm broad, green at first, then yellow
and finally red when ripe, containing a single seed.
Terminalia catappa Indian almond, Kotamba
Habit: tree
Height: ⇕ 90 ft
Width: ⇔ 35 ft
Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
early summer, mid
Bloom: ❀ summer, late
summer
Exposure: ☼ sun
Flower features: ❀ white
Tolerances
Drought: It is likely to be tolerant of droughts of less than 4–6
months duration and may shed leaves/canopy to withstand long
dry spells.
Full sun: The tree grows most rapidly in full sun and regenerates
mainly in open, well lit situations.
Shade: Tropical almond tolerates 0–25% shade. Seedlings and
saplings tolerate moderate shade levels but require high light
levels to grow satisfactorily, and mature trees prefer full sunlight.
Bark
The bark is gray to dark gray-brown and shallowly fissured.
Continuous vertical fissuring and discontinuous horizontal cracks
produce a grid appearance; the somewhat flaky bark peels off in
curved or straight scales along these lines.
Growth rate Fast in early years, about 2 m/yr (6.6 ft/yr).
Main agroforestry uses Soil stabilization, coastal protection.
Main products Nuts, timber.
Soils
Tropical almond naturally occurs on various coastal soils, especially
raised sandy and rocky beaches. It is adapted to a wide range of
lighter-textured soil types, including brackish/ saline and alkaline
sands over limestone, but requires good drainage when grown on
heavier, clayey soils.
Cultivation and uses
Terminalia catappa is widely grown in tropical regions of the world as an ornamental tree,
The leaves contain several chemical richness, the leaves (and also the bark) are used in
different traditional medicines for various purposes. For instances, in Taiwan fallen leaves
are used as a herb to treat liver diseases. It is also thought that the leaves contain agents
for prevention of cancers
Keeping the leaves in an aquarium is said to lower the pH and heavy metal content of the
water.
Albizia lebbeck
Tree:
It is a tree growing to a height of 18-30 m
tall with a trunk 50 cm to 1 m in diameter.
Leaves:
The leaves are bipinnate, 7.5–15 cm long,
with one to four pairs of pinnae, each pinna
with 6–18 leaflets.
Flowers:
The flowers are white, with numerous 2.5–
3.8 cm long stamens, and very fragrant.
Fruits:
The fruit is a pod 15-30 cm long and 2.5-5.0
cm broad, containing six to twelve seeds.
Uses
In India, the tree is used to produce timber.
Climate:
It grows well in areas with 600-2500 mm rain/year but tolerates
as little as 300 mm. The altitudinal range is 0-1800 m and mean
annual temperature 20-35ºC.
Soil:
Grows well on fertile, well-drained loamy soils but poorly on
heavy clays. It tolerates acidity, alkalinity, heavy and eroded soils,
and waterlogged soils.
Ficus religiosa
Tree:
t is a large dry season-deciduous or semi-
evergreen tree up to 30 m tall and with a
trunk diameter of up to 3 m.
Leaves:
The leaves are cordate or heart in shape
with a distinctive extended tip; they are 10–
17 cm long and 8–12 cm broad, with a 6–
10 cm petiole. It shed its leaves in the month
of March and April.
Flowers:
The figs which contain the flowers grow in
pairs just below the leaves and look like the
berries.
Fruits:
The fruit is a small fig 1-1.5 cm diameter,
green ripening purple. The fruits of the
Peepal are hidden with the figs. The figs are
ripen in the month of May
Bark:
Its bark is light gray and peels in patches.
Soil:
It can grow in any type of soil.
Climate:
Young peepal needs proper nourishment. It requires
full sunlight and proper watering.
Uses:
This tree of life has also got the medicinal value.
People in India paint leaves. From the bark of the
Peepal tree reddish dye is extracted. Its leaves are
used to feed the camels and the elephants. When the
leaves are dried they are used for the decoration
purpose.