Silk cotton tree

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About Silk cotton tree:

The silk cotton tree (Bombax ceiba L.) is locally known as semal tree.
It is a lofty deciduous tree with buttressed base when old and the whole trunk is covered with large conical prickles.
It is mainly found in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests, also in the plains
Occasionally found in plains from the coast, on the deciduous belt of the hills to 1400 m.
Members of the Garasia tribe in Rajasthan believe they are descended from semal trees.
Distribution: In India it is seen in Andaman & Nicobar Island, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh.
Significance of the tree
- It has multiple purposes and is useful to wild animals, insects, and even to tribal communities.
- It is a fire-resistant tree. It is also known for its cooling properties.
- It is considered a pioneer tree that generates a rich biomass every season, and has been used to reclaim wastelands.
- This tree fixes carbon and helps carbon sequestration by shedding all leaves before flowering.
- Many researchers believe the semal to be a bio indicator—a late flowering could mean a hot summer or a delayed monsoon.
- The rock bees nestle on its branches because the tree’s spikes keep its predator, the sloth bears, away.
- Members of tribal communities consume the tree’s reddish root for food during the monsoons.
- It provides opportunities for agroforestry and resources like food, fodder, and fuel wood.
- Members of the Kathodi tribe use its wood to craft musical instruments while those of the Bhil use it to make utensils.

Q1: What is a Bioindicator?

These are living organisms such as plants, planktons, animals, and microbes, which are utilized to screen the health of the natural ecosystem in the environment.

Source: For Udaipur’s Holi, Rajasthan’s semal trees are going up in flames