Design to bear heavy stress and strain, trees spread then branches all round their trunks to achieve a grace and balance unequalled by any trapeze artist. Thinner than silk strands and stronger than steel pins, their roots burrow in to crevices in search of nutrients and moisture, and pump them up to the top-most leaves through an intricate network of conduits that make an engineer gasp in disbelief. With clockwork precision, trees notice the change of seasons, come to flower, bear fruit, set seed, and heal their green leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, release life giving oxygen, and synthesize food in the presence of sunlight?an abundant source of energy that man has yet to harness properly. So far, man has learnt only to put an axe to trees. To meet his growing needs he has indiscriminately cleared vast stretches of forest land, little realizing that roots perform an important function as soil-binders. Consequently, wind and water swept away millions of the world?s most productive lands into arid wastes.

CRATEVA (Crateva nurvala Buchanan-Hamilton) A moderate-sized tree attaining a height of over 15 meters, it is named after cratevas (Krateuas), a Greek naturalist and physician of the 1st Century B.C. Common throughout India, the much-branched tree with a head of glossy trifoliate leaves looks very majestic when in full bloom from March to May (earlier in the South). The beauty of the flowers is enhanced by a burst of prominent purplish-violet stamens that slowly turn yellow. The bark of the tree is reported to be used as a demulcent, antipyretic, sedative, alterative and tonic.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India