Albizia lebbeck (Siris tree)
| A medium to large sized unarmed deciduous tree about 20 m in height with an umbrella-shaped crown and grey to dark brown rough irregularly cracjed bark; leaves abruptly bipinnate, main rachis with a large gland above the base and one below the upper-most pair of pinnae 2-4 pairs, leaflets 5-9 pairs with glands between their bases, the lateral ones elliptic-oblong, the two terminal ovate-oblong, all unequal sided; flower white, fragrant, in globose umbellate heads; fruits long, characteristic pods, bluntly pointed, thin, pale yellow, smooth, shiny, reticulately veined above the seed; seeds 4-12, pale brown, ellipsoid, oblong, compressed. Flowering-fruiting February to January. (Ashok Sheth (Ed.). 2005 The herbs of ayurveda vol.5 Gujarat : Ashok Sheth. p56) |
|
हस्ते लीलाकमलमलकं बालकुन्दानुविद्धं नीता रोध्रप्रसवरजसा पण्डुतामाननश्रीः । चूदापाशे नवकुरबकं चारु कर्णे शिरीषं सीमन्ते च त्वदुपगमजं यत्र नीपं वधूनाम् ॥ ६५ ॥ There, in the women’s hand, is a red lotus to play with; 手には遊びの赤睡蓮[カマラ] 髪の一房は若きクンダの花で飾り |
A description of (the women in) the Yakṣa’s hometown Alakā. Kimura (1962: 253) writes that they are flowers from different seasons but florishing all at once as this is a place of the demi-gods. [Reference: Kimura, Hideo 1962. Kālidāsa Literature Series No.1: jojōshi kisetsushū kumo no shisha. Kyoto: Hyakka-en.] |
(c) Tomomi Sato 2013
Plants of Meghaduta 