Original Sal trees in bloom in Peradeniya
Priyanka KURUGALA
Original Sal trees are in bloom these days at the Peradeniya National
Botanical Gardens, Botanical Gardens Director General Dr. Siril
Wijesundara said.
Sal flowers |
The Peradeniya National Botanical Gardens has commenced a programme
to provide original Sal saplings to all temples countrywide as an
environmental friendly project. Under this project, around 1,500 Sal
saplings were planted at the Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya.
On the advice of Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, Sal plants have been
donated to about 900 temples in 21 districts in Sri Lanka so far,
Wijesundara said. It is said that Prince Siddhartha was born under a Sal
tree. The tree known as Sal in Nepal and India is Shorea Robusta, a tree
similar to hal, hora, beraliya, dun etc in the family of
Dipterocarpaceae.
However, a totally different tree is commonly known as Sal in Sri
Lanka which is known as the cannon ball tree in English and its
botanical name is Couroupita Guianensis.
The cannon ball tree is native to tropical northern South America and
to the southern Caribbean. It is in the family of Lecythidaceae (Brazil
nut family), Wijesundara explained. |