Botanical Name :
Calophyllum Inophyllum
Common Name
: Ball tree, Alexandrian Laurel,
Sultan Champa(Hindi)
Spiritual Name : Peace
in the Physical
To
want what God wills is its best
condition.
Description
and Cultivation
This
strikingly handsome tree with its dark green foliage and its attractive
white scented waxy flowers is medium sized, evergreen and a jewel
on roadsides, in parks or gardens. The name Calophyllum means
in Greek 'beautiful leaved'. The young leaves are smooth and light
green whereas the mature leaves are broadly elliptic, dark green,
leathery in texture and shining. The many stamened flowers are
white, open in the mornings and loved by honey-bees. The fragrance
has a refreshing lemon like quality. The numerous round fruits,
size of a small lemon, are smooth and yellowish when ripe. The
outer coat is often eaten by bats who carry and disperse the seeds.
This
tree is found in the hot moist coastal regions of India, East
Indies, Australia and South America. In India it is said to live
for 100 years.
Gardening
The
tree basically needs a well drained porous soil with a copious
supply of water. However, its growth-rate is slow. Horticulturally,
it is a valuable tree as it is a rare combination of beautiful
foliage and exquisite upright sprays of small 'stamen-filled'
white flowers.
Uses
A
greenish coloured oil is derived from the seeds. It possesses
a disagreeable odour but is extensively used for treating burns.
Externally
applied it is a remedy for rheumatism, for scabies and skin eruptions.
The
timber is used for the knees for books and other special carpentry
works.
Peace
in the Physical
Here
are a few quotes from Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on the importance
of bringing the divine peace down into the physical.
