Baheda

                 BAHEDA-Terminalia bellirica

           BEHEDA Tree Terminalia Belleric myrobalan, bedda nut tree, Bhaira, Bharia, Sagona

                                                                  Baheda Leaves

                                                                    Beheda Fruit

                                                    New leaves of Beheda

BEHEDA : An Avenue Tree. , Rajendra Prasad Marg. Can be seen in Barakhamba, Sikandra. Uses : The fruit was once  exported as one of the myrobalans, used for dyeing cloth (snuffy yellow or brown) as a dyeing mordant and for tanning leather. The fruits and leaves are eaten by cattle and sheep' The Beheda makes an excellent avenue tree but some people consider it to be the  Abode of demons and avoid sitting in its shade.

BEHEDA : Beheda makes an excellent avenue tree. A tall handsome tree with a massive dome shaped crown, deciduous and broad leaves prominently clustered at the ends of twigs. One of the few select species chosen to line major avenues in Lutyens's Delhi. For a forest tree it can grow 40 m tall. Seasons : Leaves : start to  yellow and drop either early or late in March (depending on winter rains). New leaves (deep red)  in early April, completely renewed by the  third week.

Flowers ; Along with the new leaves towards end April. Greenish yellow male and bisexual flowers mixed, crowded together on spikes. There are no petals. The most prominent parts are  the long stamens and star shaped, woolly flower cups. The flower have a honey like  but nauseating smell.

Fruits : ripen in Winter. Grey brown flasked shaped or ovoid, about 4 cm long. The outer skin is covered with  a fine velvety down. The stone inside the fleshy fruit is very hard. The astringent fruit is one of the 3 ingredients of Ayurvedic Triphala. prescribed for coughs.

New Leaves : Emerge a startling shade of deep crimson and at first glance  can look like blossoms. New leaves are faintly downy at first.(covered with fine soft hair)

Red colour of young leaves : Leaves flush pink or red before turning green. The red pigment act like a sunblock protecting tender new leaves from harsh ultra violet light. It makes for some truely beautiful sight in Delhi. March through May. Beheda is one of the many trees in Delhi that goes through a lovely pink phase, when its leave first emerge.

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