The Gulmohar Tree by Amira Altamimi

Photo by Amira Altamimi

 

The first thing that struck me about Bangalore, and India in general, was the vast amount of trees. Even in an urban setting, the streets of Bangalore were filled with so many vastly unique trees. One that seemed to follow us was the Gulmohar tree, a large tree with vibrant red-orange flowers and interestingly enough, the Gulmohar tree is non-native to India. Despite the fact it was brought over in the 1800s by a Czech botanist from Madagascar, the tree has quickly become a crucial part in the lives of the people in India. For starters, the flowering of the tree is oftentimes a signifier of an early summer. On top of that, the flowers also have various medicinal uses, providing the local people with antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties on top of many others. This then brings us to the larger question of if the  Gulmohar tree should be removed due to its non-native status. Even the lakes of Bangalore could be considered “non-native" because they are entirely manmade. However, they still serve people in the city. Interestingly enough, they can’t be utilized for drinking water but they do exist for beautifying and servicing the cultural ecosystem. Through the efforts of various NGOs and even citizen initiatives, great care has been put into creating these paths for people to walk around and enjoy. 

A common theme we’ve run into in our nearly two week stay is the  similarities between people and nature. What does it mean for a plant to be non-native when it’s been brought over to another country and established its roots here? It has learned to live with the already existing landscape, it provides its own benefits and it has become part of the larger landscape. Removing it now would arguably cause more harm than good, especially to the people who have learned to integrate it into their lives.  On the other hand, non-native plants are not always an inherently productive addition to an ecosystem. Take for example various non-native parasitic vines that suffocate the native plant population and push them out of their natural ecosystems. Or even the Gulmohar tree which can out-compete with native populations if not managed properly. It’s incredibly easy to broadly categorize nature when in reality, it's far more complicated than non-native species falling under good or bad.

Photo by Amira Altamimi