Silk Cotton Tree

Found in Sub himalayan areas and lower valleys these are large and distinctive trees that grows upto 40m tall. The flowers are fleshy and bright red which appear in March, sometimes earlier. The flower buds are eaten as veggies. The leaves are quite large and consists of 5 to 7 leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand. The wood is soft which is why it gives fibre for making ropes. Also, the tree yields a gum which is used medicinally, as are the roots of young plant. A big useful tree we say.