Indian Devil Tree
The fragrance of Alstonia scholaris flowers is wafting in from my window, and compelling me to record its witchery. This fragrance is intoxicating without betraying a smidgen of sweetness, and for the lack of a better term, it is commonly described as spicy. It has been accused of much darker deeds than I can impute, thus bringing upon the tree the common, disreputable name of Indian Devil Tree or shaitantree from far-carrying but vague Konkani folklore.
The Indian Devil Tree blooms in October. Like its leaves, its flower clusters are whorled — like a group of witches standing a circle around their divinity.The flowers are an austere green. The Bengali name for the tree is Saptaparni, meaning seven leaves, a tribute to the distinctive whorled arrangement of leaves.
Evidently, the pollen are extremely virile. It is rare to find a lone Alstonia scholaris in natural conditions, the trees multiply and spread across an area swiftly. People have also reported that the pollen aggravates their asthma and the ‘odor’ of flowers causes relentless headaches in autumn. Residents of localities in Taipei requested the local authorities to cut down these trees and Noida’s municipal body changed plans to plant these trees in urban areas in favor of winsomely-named ‘Pride of India’ trees.
The tree grows in an eccentric manner. There are distinct levels of branches, quite like an apartment building. Makes you wonder if it houses different classes of the witches’ society!
To be fair, the tree is capable of instilling more wholesome emotions than fear, which belie its unfortunate common name. Its scientific name scholaris comes from the use of its bark by resourceful, bygone scholars for making slates and blackboards. (The genus name Alstonia is after the British botanist Charles Alston). Surely that is a noble contribution the tree made to man’s enlightenment!
The devil trees devotedly fringe my local pond in Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, besides standing guard outside my window. I have been untroubled by devils, asthma attacks and headaches so far, and the trees have added a distinct whiff of spice to life. But if I go over to the dark side, you will know what lured me!
