The all-pervading fragrance lingering in the air for weeks together in the avenues, homesteads and parks of the city, evokes in ones memory the nostalgic evergreen tree belonging to the genus Alstonia scholaris.
The evergreen ornamental shade tree, native to India and belonging to the family of apocyanaceae is often dubbed as Devil’s Tree (Yakshi Pala locally), Milky Pine, White Cheese wood tree, Black Board tree, Scholar’s tree and Ezhilampala in Malayalam. Scientifically called as Alstonia scholaris, the tree is known for its strong enticing smell in the mist laden nights from November to January. The generic name Alstonia attributed to the distinguished botanist Prof. C. Alston of Edinburg and species name scholaris is derived from the fact that its planks were earlier used for making wooden slates for school children.
The tree attaining an average height of twenty meters has a typical spreading habit where the....
