Crateva

Designed to withstand heavy stress and strain, trees elegantly spread their branches around their trunks, achieving a balance and grace unmatched by any trapeze artist. Their roots, thinner than silk strands yet stronger than steel pins, delve into crevices in search of nutrients and moisture, then transport them up to the highest leaves through a complex network of conduits that would leave an engineer in awe.

With remarkable precision, trees respond to the changing seasons, blooming, fruiting, and setting seed. Their green leaves serve as natural filters, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing life-giving oxygen, and synthesizing food in the presence of sunlight—an abundant energy source that humanity has yet to fully utilize. Unfortunately, mankind has thus far only learned to wield the axe against trees, indiscriminately clearing vast stretches of forest land without realizing the crucial role roots play as soil binders. This has led to the erosion of millions of the world’s most productive lands into arid wastelands.

Among these resilient trees stands the Crateva (Crateva nurvala Buchanan-Hamilton), a moderate-sized tree reaching over 15 meters in height. Named after Krateuas, a Greek naturalist and physician from the 1st Century B.C., this tree is common throughout India. With its glossy trifoliate leaves and a majestic appearance, especially when in full bloom from March to May (earlier in the South), the Crateva is a sight to behold. The beauty of its flowers is accentuated by a burst of prominent purplish-violet stamens that gradually turn yellow. Additionally, the bark of the tree is reported to possess medicinal properties, serving as a demulcent, antipyretic, sedative, alterative, and tonic.