What is the Real Sal Tree? Tree?

by Bhikkhu Nyanatusita First published in the Buddhist Publication Society Newsletter, No. 63, 20 0.

Painting of Sal Tree by Marianne North at Kew Gardens. Source http://www. ew.org. The s!la or sal tree is an i"portant tree in Buddhis". The t#in sal trees in the sal #ood o$ the %allans near &usin!ra dropped their $ra'rant $lo#ers upon the Buddha #hile he #as lyin' on his deathbed () ** 3+,-, S * .+, / ** +0, 1d 3+, Th 02-, /p * 0 3. /44ordin' to the 4o""entary to the %a55hi"a Nik!ya (%,a *6 -23, the Buddha #as born in the Sal #ood park at 7u"bini (lu!bin"s#la$anuyy#na38 his "other 'i9in' birth #hile standin' and holdin' the bran4h o$ a sal tree. The i"portant %:lapariy!yasutta (% * 3, #as tau'ht by the Buddha #hile sittin' at the root o$ the royal sal tree in the Subha'a 'ro9e at 1kka;;ha. *n the <osi='a Sutta, S!riputta Thera des4ribed the sal #ood o$ <osi='a as $ollo#s> ?The <osi='a #ood is deli'ht$ul, the ni'ht is "oonlit, the sal trees are all in blosso"8 it is like hea9enly s4ents are #a$tin'. What kind o$ Bhikkhu 4ould illu"inate this 'ro9e?@ (% * 2 23. The Aa=kB Sutta des4ribes ho# the Brah"in Aa=kB and other Brah"ins o$ Cpas!da 9illa'e 9isited the Buddha #hile he #as stayin' in the nearby sal #ood, 4alled the ?<odsD #ood@ (% ** 623. The Brah"in Na9aka""ika #ent to the Buddha #hile he #as sittin' "editatin' at the root o$ a sal tree in a sal #ood (S * +0ESN +> +3. The <a9esBsutta (/ *** 2 2F -3 #as tau'ht in a lar'e sal #ood that the Buddha noti4ed #hile tra9ellin' #ith a lar'e 'roup o$ "onks on a road in the &osala 4ountry.

The pre9ious Buddha 6essabh: attained enli'hten"ent under a 'reat sal tree () ** 23. The tree is also "entioned in the suttas in relation to its #ood, used $or "akin' boats (/ ** 20 3. *n the SoGaka H!taka the sal is said to be a deli'ht$ul tree #ith a strai'ht trunk and lea9es #ith a bluish lustre (H 6 2. 3.

Flo#ers and heli4opter like $ruits o$ the sal tree The sal treeDs 7atin na"e is Shorea robusta. The sal tree belon's to the %ipterocarpaceae $a"ily and is related to the hora tree (%ipterocarpus &eylanicus3 o$ Sri 7anka. *t 'ro#s naturally in the $oothills o$ the Ii"alaya, su4h as in Terai re'ion o$ Northern *ndia and Southern Nepal, and also in 4entral *ndia in %adhya Jradesh, Crissa, et4. *t 4an rea4h 3. "eters hi'h #ith a 'irth o$ 2..". 7ar'e 4lusters o$ s"all, but pretty, $ra'rant, droopin' #hite $lo#ers 4o9er the tree in sprin', usually in /pril, dependin' on the altitude. *n dry re'ions it loses its lea9es in the dry season, #hi4h lasts $ro" February to /pril. The seeds are dispersed throu'h heli4opter,like $ruits. The #ood is reno#n $or its robustness and durability. Bein' #aterproo$ it is used as an outdoor #ood, $or rail#ay sleepers, brid'es, boats, et4, and also indoor $or roo$,bea"s, #indo#s, et4. The resin is used $or "akin' #ooden boats #ater proo$, as an astrin'ent and deter'ent "edi4ine, and as an in4ense.

Fro"> %ietrich Brandis, 'llustrations of the (orest (lora of North)*est and +entral 'ndia, -+2. Sour4e> Wiki Ao""ons.

Sal $orests are pro"inent in *ndian national parks su4h as the Bandha9'arh and &anha ti'er reser9es in %adhya Jradesh. *n areas #ith re'ular $orest $ires, this $ire,resistant tree 'ro#s in open stands #ith no other kinds o$ trees and no or little under'ro#th, #hi4h #ould eKplain #hy the Buddha and arahants 4hose it as a 4on9enient pla4e to stay. The $ollo#in' des4ription $ro" the World Wildli$e Fund2 des4ribes the sal $orest #ell> ?*n the lo#land parts o$ the Terai, you 4an so"eti"es end up in a $orest 4o"prisin' entirely o$ one tree spe4ies, the "a5esti4 sal tree. Standin' in a sal $orest is a 4o"pletely di$$erent eKperien4e $ro" the nearby di9erse and dense 5un'les. The tree trunks are lon' and strai'ht, and there is plenty o$ li'ht. )urin' sprin', #hile the sal trees are in blosso", the air is $illed #ith a stron', s#eet and pleasant s"ell. Sal is a hard#ood spe4ies that is unusually resistant to rottin' and to atta4ks o$ hun'ry inse4ts.@ Aaptain Forsyth3 des4ribed the Sal #oods o$ the &anha reser9e as $ollo#s> ?Throu'hout the su""er, the 'lossy dark,'reen $olia'e o$ sal re$le4ts the li'ht in a thousand tints, and $irst #hen all other 9e'etation is at its #orst, a $e# #eeks be$ore the 'ates o$ hea9en are opened in the annual "onsoon, the sal sele4ts its opportunity o$ burstin' into a $resh 'ar"ent o$ the bri'htest and so$test 'reen.@

Sal tree #oods at &anha National Jark, *ndia (Ji4ture by &austubh Tho"are3

(?The Sal tree (Shorea robusta3> The endurin' hard#ood #ith s#eet $ra'ran4e.@ /44essed http>EE###.##$nepal.or'EaboutL##$E4onser9ationLnepalEtalEareaEspe4iesEsalLtreeE on 20. 2.20 33 Aaptain H. Forsyth. The ,igh lands of +entral 'ndia- 7ondon -+2> 20-.

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*n Sri 7anka, Thailand and other Buddhist 4ountries there is 4on$usion as to the identity o$ the sal tree. What is 4alled ?sal@ in Sri 7anka and Thailand is a beauti$ul tree #ith "any lar'e $ra'rant pink $lo#ers and lar'e, "elon,siMe #oody round $ruits han'in' $ro" its trunk and bran4hes. This is not Shorea robusta8 instead, it is the 4annonball tree, +ouroupita guianensis, nati9e to the 5un'les o$ North, eastern South /"eri4a. *t #as introdu4ed to /sia in 4olonial ti"es, probably as a 4uriosity by the plant lo9in' 6i4torian British. *t is Nuite a di$$erent tree $ro" the sal tree that 'ro#s in northern *ndia and Nepal and is not related to it. There are no reports o$ 4annonball trees $or"in' 'ro9es and they are not 'ro#in' in the #ild in /sia. *t is not possible to stay under a 4annonball tree be4ause o$ the hea9y $ruits $allin' do#n and the $allen, rottin' $lo#ers $or"in' a slippery slud'e on the $orest $loor.

Aannonball tree, &andy (Ji4tures by Nyanatusita Bhikkhu3. 1n$ortunately, the 4on$usion about #hat is a sal tree is so pre9alent today that #hen doin' an i"a'e sear4h on the internet $or ?Shorea robusta@ there are "any pi4tures o$ the 4annonball tree a"on' the results. Su4h "istakes #ill only eKa4erbate the 4on$usion. Sin4e its introdu4tion $ro" South /"eri4a, the 4annonball tree has be4o"e a sa4red tree in both the Buddhist and Iindu traditions. *n Iindu *ndia it is planted in Shi9a te"ples and is 4alled Shi$ Ka!al or Nagalinga!. The $lo#ers are said to rese"ble the hood o$ a N!'a (sa4red 4obra3 prote4tin' a Shi9a lin'a. The plantin' o$ 4annonball trees as sa4red trees 4an only be a re4ent addition to these traditions $or it is 4ertainly not the sal tree o$ the an4ient Buddhist and Iindu teKts. *n Hapan yet another pretty tree #ith lar'e #hite $lo#ers, the de4iduous 4a"ellia or Stewartia pseudoca!ellia, is re'arded as the sal tree. *t is 4alled sh#ra- , $ro" Sanskrit .#la. Bein' nati9e to the "ountains o$ Hapan, it 4an #ithstand the 4old #inters, and is o$ten planted near te"ples and in parks, #ith si'ns statin' that in the shade o$ this tree the Buddha #as born and passed a#ay.