বাংলায় পড়ুন
From the distance, the tree could see
The Krishnachura’s cascading heart
Bewitched by beauty, his perplexed eyes
Wondered when he’d find his way to it
(Extract translated from Bengali poem ‘Arjun Krishnachura Katha’ by poet Mandakranta Sen)
The poet has beautifully expressed our thoughts in these lines. Here the poet is talking about the Krishnachura tree. It stands tall with its head upright facing the sun seeing it eye to eye. It even gives the biggest star in our solar system a tough competition. When the tree is in full bloom the flowers represent the element of fire and hence it is also known as ‘Gulmohar’, ‘Flower of Fire’ or ‘Flame Tree’. The trees are often spotted alongside the roads spreading their branches and forming a picturesque canopy of bright red flowers.
The scientific name of Krishnachura is Delonix regia and it is from the Caesalpiniaceae. These are deciduous trees that bloom from April to June. Thanks to its beautiful flowers it is grown as an ornamental tree in many tropical regions around the globe.
One childhood memory that is associated with this tree is little girls making false nails with is buds and making ornaments with the flowers. In the sultry summer, the flowers bring a soothing effect to our eyes. In addition to being so beautiful and flamboyant, it has a few medicinal values also. Researchers found out that Delonix regia has antibacterial, antidiabetic, antidiarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, gastroprotective, hepato-protective and wound healing properties. They were used in traditional medicines to treat rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, pneumonia, malaria, and constipation. They are used in several tea plantations to provide shade and the Krishnachura trees control soil erosion at eroded sites. This colorful and flashy tree never fails to grab attention, it takes us back down on a trio to our memory lane, for a moment we halt to admire the mesmerizing exquisiteness of the ‘KrishnaChura’.
