Golden Rumph's Fig/ Mock Bodhi Tree

Ficus rumphii

Gai/gaya/gajo asswatho (Beng)

A smaller edition of the more famous peepal or ashwattha with leave having much shorter “tail” with grey smooth bark.

Bark: Smooth, grey rather thick

Leaf:  Smooth shinning heart shaped with a short “tail”, edges wavy,

Fruit (figs): In pairs, black when ripe about 2’’ in diameter.

Season: The leaves fall during the latter half of the cold season and the beginning of the hot season and are replaced soon after. The "figs", appear at most times of the year, and may be noticed .in great numbers when the branches are nearly bare of leaves in the spring

Range/habitat: The tree is indigenous in all the damper parts of the plains of India, and is common in Kolkata, though less abundant Than the peepul. Outside India it is distributed widely in the south east Asia.

Trivia and notes: The rather derogatory name “false bodhi tree” is due to its resemblance with peepal which is known as Bodhi tree. In my opinion this is an invisible tree as almost nobody can differentiate it from peepal. However, it is very easy to differentiate once we are aware.

Where to Find: There are quite a few in Rabindra sarovar, Kolkata. There is one labelled tree on the road that is between padmapukur & Andersen club lake close to the barrier gate (level crossing like). Also, there are quite a few trees where this tree has started their epiphytic phase. But most mature and stately ones are inside safari park. One of them is on a large round cemented pedestal some 100’or so on the left while entering.