Spot the bania's favourite tree in Mumbai

Figure the difference between a real and false Ashoka, a Gulmohar and a Soan Mohar and many such gems when you sign up with walk the Mumbai trees to rediscover our local green warriors

Just like the banyan tree that stands tall by drawing strength from its roots, Walk The Mumbai Trees, a tree appreciation group started byu00a0nature lovers Lahar Mehta and Satwiki Nair encourage you to go back to your roots, and appreciate the trees that surround you.

The architect-IT professional have been organising tree walks inu00a0 and around Chembur. for groups of 10, every alternate Sunday since April.
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We joined them on one such walk to RCF Colony, and came back informed, learning how to tell the difference between a real and a false Ashoka tree and to distinguish between a gulmohar and a soan mohar, among several other delightful discoveries.

Get on the Tree Trail
The next tree walk will be held on July 4. Entry is free. Send an mail to walkthemumbaitrees@gmail.com

We know it as:u00a0 Banyan tree

Scientific name: Ficus Benghalensisu00a0
Green gyaan: The banyan tree supposedly symbolises the Trimurti, with Vishnu as the bark, Shiva as the branches and Brahma as the roots. Word has it that the banyan tree was a favourite meeting place of the trading class (banias) who sat under its shade, discussing business deals. So, the tree derived its name from this community. In fact, Kolkata has a banyan tree that is more than 100 years old with a main trunk that is four meters in diameter and has 230 large trunks and nearly 3,500 smaller ones.

We know it as:u00a0 Eucalyptus
Scientific name: Eucalyptus Cinereau00a0
Green gyaan: The bark is generally white in colour and splits into fibrous strips as it grows. It's a fast-growing source of wood, its oil can be used for cleaning and it also functions as a natural insecticide. Eucalyptus is also used to drain swamps and reduce the risk of malaria.

We know it as:u00a0 Ashoka
Also called Sita Ashok in Sanskritu00a0
Scientific name: Saraca Indicau00a0
Green gyaan: The Ashoka is a typical rain forest tree and a native to the city. The best way to distinguish between a real and false Ashoka tree is to look at its leaves, which are generally greener in comparison to the leaves of a false Ashoka. Also, the leaves have a pronounced wavy margin as compared to the leaves of the false Ashoka.

We know it as:u00a0 Gulmohar
Scientific name: Delonix Regia Rafinu00a0
Green gyaan: The gulmohar tree can be easily recognised during the flowering season because of its flaming red colour. Many people often confuse it with the Soan Mohar or Copperpod trees. However, during the non-flowering season it can be distinguished by its leaves. The size of the leaflets of theu00a0 Gulmohar tree is smaller than the leaves of the copperpod tree. Also the bark of the copperpod is of a darker brown.

We know it as:u00a0 Suru
Scientific name: Casuarina Equisetifoliau00a0
Green gyaan: The leaves of this native tree are needle-shaped while its fruit are conical. Suru helps prevent soil erosion in coastal areas by holding the soil together and acts as a natural wind barrier. Hence, it can be proposed as a potential coastal vegetation species for tsunami energy reduction.