Stumbled upon this tree on C P Ramaswamy Road during my evening walk today. I might have seen this tree so many times but have never looked at it or observed it until today. I came to the road through a different street than the one that I usually take. The moment I entered the road and turned towards my right this tree caught my attention. What a strange sight and an odd tree!

Every other tree in the vicinity is lush with green leaves. And yet, this tree almost had no leaves. I was wondering what could be the reason that this tree is devoid of leaves – pest infection, seasonal pattern or is the tree about to die.

After coming home, I searched online. One of the articles mentioned that tropical deciduous tree shed leaves due to drought stress. Still very strange that only this tree would face drought stress but trees around it on the same road look normal. Wondering if this tree is not native to India but somehow its seeds or sapling ended up on this road years ago.

Had this tree been in an open field or in the woods it would have been spooky. But since it’s on a busy road, it doesn’t attract much attention.

Location: C P Ramaswamy Road, Chennai

Date: 3rd September 2025