Divi-Divi

Divi-Divi

Caesalpinia coriaria

No Indian name

Small tree with rough, grey-brown, corky bark flaking off in small irregular pieces, a short trunk, and wide drooping branches which gives an umbrella-like shape. The small twice feathered leaves are divided into as many as a thousand diminutive narrow leaflets, which are closely set on either side of several slender branches of the midrib of the leaf.

Bark: Rough, grey-brown, corky bark flaking off in small irregular pieces

Leaf: Small (up to 9’’), twice feathered, divided into as many as a thousand diminutive narrow leaflets, dark green above, greyish below.

Flower: Small sweet-scented, greenish yellow, with reddish filaments, in dense clusters at the ends of the branches

Fruit: Thick brown pods curiously twisted (not prickly, unlike many others in this genus)

Season: New leaves in March, flowering intermittently between summer and rains.

Range/habitat: Native of the tropical America (West Indies).

Where to Find: Till now I have found only one tree in Rabindra sarobar. (22.509972, 88.351397)