You, the intrepid #explorer and #naturelover, have just encountered this glorious creature. What on earth is this, you ask the breeze, bewildered. Why is this thing —is that a fruit— curled onto itself like a spiral...like a jalebi, you ask yourself.

[The story continues...]

Suddenly, a distant memory sings softer than the jungle whispers — jalebi, jalebi...

And in one magical instant, everything you ever needed to know about this weirdo tree is crystal clear. Because, you exclaim, it& #39;s in the name. It& #39;s all in the darn name.
[The story continues]

Jungli Jalebi.

Pithecellobium dulce.

pitheko = ape
ellobion = earring
dulce = sweet

Where it is native, the coiled pods were called monkey& #39;s earrings, you recall in a stroke of inspiration. The fruit is sweet. The tree is evergreen. And it is very, very nutritional and very, very underutilized as a food.

A warm smile spreads across your face. All those hours spent #SeasonWatch-ing could have never failed you in an IDing crisis. Onto the next adventure, you tell yourself. Onto the next #tree.

#trees #treedom #citizenscience #observation #coolfacts

Don’t just watch the seasons go by; #SeasonWatch.

All images in this thread are by J.M.Garg, CarlosFX, miansari66.