榕树(Ficus microcarpa)

Ficus microcarpa, also known as Chinese Banyan, Malayan Banyan, Indian Laurel or Curtain fig, is a banyan native in the range from Sri Lanka to India, southern People's Republic of China, the Malay Archipelago, the Ryukyu Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia. This is the trees that I used to hear from song,from books, from my ancestral home(Chaoyang),but is doubtful whether I have seen the tree. I read this article from the blog and found the photo were unique and beautiful. Together with the familiar Chinese song, I posted them into my blog just for childhood remembrance.

榕树是桑科榕属植物的总称，全世界已知有800多种，主要分布在热带地区，尤以热带雨林最为集中。我国榕树属植物约100种，其中云南分布67种，西双版纳有44种，占中国已知榕树总数的44.9%，占全世界的5.5%。
　



榕树的记忆

昨天与朋友经过一村寨名叫“西岐”，因与《封神榜》中的西岐城同名，所以一直都感到有点神秘。虽说是村寨，但却真有一座古城，到现在那古旧的城墙依旧矗立， 稳固而厚实，城内还供有城隍公，俨然是村中有城。朋友叫我绕城而走，我答应了。来到城东门时，兀见门上长着一株榕树，树叶翠绿茂盛，树根穿透城门直伸进了 地下，石门与榕树相拥相抱，浑然一体。树根汲取大地的养分，枝干粗壮，凌空挥臂，这使本来坚固异常的城门都与门屋都裂开了。树大招风，为保护城门，人们把 榕树的枝干锯了。但这样更焕发了榕树的生命力，你看那新长的树叶可不是一般的绿，它得那么强悍，绿得沉稳。寨门上裸露的树根突兀盘结，充满张力，与古老的 城屋形成了鲜明的对比。腐朽与神奇，脑子里忽然闪现这对词，那高踞城门的鸟榕确实让人震撼，让人不得不佩服榕树的生命力，更叹服这天然的奇观。

榕树，我们一直习惯叫它“神树”。偶然的发现勾起了我对榕树的回忆，童年的一幕幕又在眼前浮现。我家屋后就有一棵大榕树，它有多大岁数我不知道，只知道要有 好几个人手拉手才能抱住它。主干的分叉自成一把把“交椅”，我们总喜欢攀着它粗糙凹凸的主干爬到坐着那天然的交椅，编织童年七彩的梦想。白天，我们在树下 乘凉，听老爷爷讲故事，听大人们谈世情，榕荫下有多少故事启迪我们童稚的心灵；我们呼朋唤友玩游戏，树上掉下的树籽，遍地的小石子，就是现成的玩具，欢声 笑语伴随光斑流泻。要是雨来了，我们就紧紧贴着树干，静静地站着，雨点敲击浓密的树叶，粗壮的树干，即兴来一段《十面埋伏》，那急骤的琴声溅起我们满怀的 好奇；雨停了，风吹来，盛在叶片上的雨珠纷纷坠落，掉下无数水滴，飘洒一地音符，我们也摔落发上臂上的珠翠，亮开嗓子跺脚高呼，哗笑声穿透树梢激越碧 空……晚上我们在树下看月亮，数星星，广袤的太空有我们太多的期待。多少个夜晚，我和小伙伴在树下等啊等，盼着吴刚爷爷砍下桂枝，掉到地上，我们拿回家去 可以变出好多米粮，那么我们就能每天都吃干饭，再不用饿肚子啦；我们用洁白的手巾遮住眼睛看月亮，听说只要心诚就能看到看到嫦娥姐姐在月宫里轻歌曼舞，旁 边还有一只可爱的小白兔；我们还一直期待月华姑娘出现，带给我们好运气……

寻根，寻梦！趁假日有空，我邀上同伴，一起去寻访记忆中的榕树，那棵闻名遐迩的奇树——太洞寨门神。绕过狭窄的泥土路，我们来到了太洞村老寨址，远远地就看 到了几株茂盛的榕树，其中一棵树根自然分叉，中间生成一个圆洞，两边连接寨墙，俨然是寨门一个，而且门楣、门楹、门槛清晰可辨。我们去的时候，门楣上几张 鲜红的“麒麟到此”正迎风飘动呢，这说明村子刚有人家娶媳妇或嫁女儿，因为习俗婚嫁喜庆的事，都得告知寨门爷爷的。我们看到村民就从树门自由进出，一幅人 树相谐的景几象。“寨门生神”早有听闻，只是一直未有亲睹，今日一见，真感奇迹，忙为榕树拍照。过往行人对我们侧目而视，好象我们比树还怪吧！有两个小孩 子主动来搭讪，说他听他爷爷说，原来那是一个石门，后来榕树把门柱挤倒了，自己独木成门。经小朋友这么一介绍，我们看到树的旁边果真有几根石柱，零落地躺 倒着。真感慨榕树的古道热肠！也许就因着这份热心，这份向往自由的生命本源，他才能这样彰显生命的强劲张力，摆脱了石柱的束缚，扎根于大地，站成一片天 地，给村民以清凉，以庇护，村民们也早把他当最亲最敬的长者，要不，村子的名字为何就叫“太洞”呢！

其实无论那个村落，最显眼的路口一定都可以看到榕树的身影，它是村寨的守护神，俗话说：无榕不成寨。今天，我真正领略了这句话的内涵。榕树驱体庞大，生命力 强，长寿的能活百岁千年，榕荫常青，涵盖人间，宽容知慧、泰然自若，所以它是大者、寿者、善者、贤者的象征，一直以来还享有中国菩提树的称誉呢。

在榕树的浓阴下，我们告别童稚的梦想，飞离了家乡……如今，蓦然回首，才明白，我们一直都没有飞离，家乡的一草一木，是那样牵动我们的情怀。就像这榕树，心 目中他一直是宽厚仁慈的老爷爷，他博大的胸怀一直是我心灵的栖息之所。榕树的记忆，是这样亲切祥和。记忆中的榕树，也将常青不老。

(作者[夏之莲] 发表于2009-2-19 9:27:00 Pictures and article from source:http//blog.huizhou.cn/u/21114/archives/2009/7471.shtml)

Chinese Song: 榕树下

The vegetable farm

It is not easy to find any vegetable farm in Penang Island, unless you go to Balik Pulau area.

It is refreshing to see this vegetable plots near Sg Ara. If not because of unfriendly barking dogs, I will have walk around this vegetable plots.

Anyhow, managed to buy some vegetables for the dinner, fresh from the farm.

Penang Angsana Trees bidding for World Record

Good news for trees lover....Penang Angsana Trees bidding for the World Record?

It was reported in the Star dated 28-2-2006:-

Penang Municipal Council(MPPP) President Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said, Forestry Department has proposed that Penang Angsana phenomenon to be listed in the Book of World Records.


Most of Angsana Trees in the Penang city are over 100 years

There are more than 200 Angsana trees located at Jalan Macalister, Jalan Mesjid Negeri, Jalan Residensi on the island

Two years ago, now is 2009, I wonder MPPP has listed the Angsana trees in Book of World Records....now the MPPP President is no longer Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib , the new Acting President is Sr Tan Cheng Chui.

Just hope that the MPPP will improve in the future under the new leadership.

What is the name of the tree

I found this tree at the back lane of Macalister Road. I do not know the name of the tree. I may have seen it before, but this is the time I looked at it closely.

The fruit is green when unripe, but turn to red color like apple; it look like berry when ripe, it is soft, and with many seeds.

The interesting thing is that the fruits only grow from the tree trunk. Clearly separated from the tree branches with leaves.

It was reported that bats,birds and ants like the fruits; it attracts many of the natural visitors. When I visited the tree,it is full of the red ants at the base ground of the tree,where the fallen fruits are everywhere.

Can anyone tell me, what is the name of the tree?

Angsana, Yellow Flame coming to Penang

Angsana tree is one of the major street shade trees in Penang(the other being Rain Tree). Some of the trees along Macalister Road, Burma Road, Scotland Road are old trees, and may be more than 100 years. There are new trees planted in Bayan Lepas-Sg Ara area. The picture was taken in Sg Ara.

Angsana tree is also popularly called Yellow Flame, scientifically it is Pterocarpus indicus. It is a large deciduous tree, which means that the leaves or flower petals of the tree will fall off seasonally. The tree will flower during the late March to early April. The flowers are small and yellow in color, so the name Yellow Flame. The petal of the flowers will fall off, and it looks like yellow rains. But it is not called rain tree , which is the name for other tree.

During my school days when we walk to school, along the road there were angsana trees. We like to purposely walk under the tree, so that the yellow flower petals will fall onto our body, our school bag, our face....... then we walk on the road which look like covered with yellow carpet.... what a joyful memory.

I am fond of Angsana trees, even until now I am happy to see the flowering season came. It is during my birthday, the tree will flower, will fall like yellow rains.

Fall, fall, yellow flowers, remind me of my birthday, my school days.

Monkey Cup

Pitcher Plant or Monkey Cup( Nepenthes)

I still remember during my childhood days, whenever I went up to Penang Hill by funicular train ; while moving up the hill, you were able to see the wild pitcher plants growing & creeping on the hill slopes, along the railway track. That was the first time I saw the pitcher plant.

We also called the pitcher plant , monkey cup; but scientifically it is called Nepenthes, in Greek it means” No grief or sorrow”. The name monkey cup is given, because it is observed that monkeys drink water from the pitcher plant.

Pitcher Plant, the plant that catch insects and eat meat. It is a carnivorous plant. Pitcher plant has an insect mechanism cavity formed by cupped leaves, the deep and long cavity contained liquid, and attract insects. The cavity is known as pitfall traps. They are vine forming plant.

There are two species of Pitcher Plant in Penang
(i) White banded pitcher plant (Nepenthes albomar ginata)

This is a low hill species; brown purple pitcher with brown red color lid. The lid is bigger

(ii) Narrow- lidded Pitcher plant(Nepenthes ampullaria)

This is a common low land species; spot a small narrow lid, positioned away from the mouth of the pitcher. This ground- level pitcher plant are growing in dense clusters. It is green in color, or green with a red peristome.

Pitcher Plant is a rare species, I know it since I was small. Even now there are artificial propagated pitcher plant for sale in the market, we still must value the pitcher plants, it may be an endangered species.