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's in the name. It'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'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.