Buddha Coconut

Pterygota alata

Beng: Buddha Narikel

A towering giant of the rainforest of NE India & western ghats with a straight tall trunk often heavily buttressed near root, short branches with large heart shaped leaves. Though it does not grow that tall in Kolkata as in its natural habitat, still among the tallest tress of Kolkata.

Bark: Smooth, grey shallowly fissured when old

Leaf: Large, Heart shaped, glossy, dark green with a long stalk

Flower: Rusty or purplish in dense clusters, bell shaped around 1’’ diameter

Fruit: Fist sized, roundish, woody capsule with a long stalk.

Season: The flowers appear in Feb and Mar when the old leaves begin to fall. The tree remains leafless for a few weeks. Then the fresh leaves appear in Apr and May (usually starts from lower branched). Fruits mature in next summer.

Range/habitat: High rainfall areas like western ghat, eastern Himalayas & north-east, Andamans, Myanmar.

Trivia and notes: Used to be preferred tree for nesting for the vultures before they become critically endangered.

Where to find: A mature tree in the northwest corner of Rabindra Sarobar (near the crossing of southern avenue & Lansdown Road, 22.512807, 88.353288) right on the boundary wall. In Victoria memorial there are very tall specimens near the ticket counter on the southern side of the park (AJC Bose road side)