Celebration Of Our Vegetation: The Tree As A Friend
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday January 28, 1988
WITH all the heady excitement of the Bicentennial celebrations this week, one of the delights for me was walking through Hyde Park after dark.
The park has been transformed into a fairyland, with tiny lights like thousands of glow-worms decorating the trees.
Looking down the avenue, past the Archibald Fountain and towards the War Memorial, where the branches of the giant figs meet overhead, is quite magical, even with the throngs of people wandering below.
Obviously, the crowds are enjoying it, but the local wildlife might have mixed feelings. When we were there, the fruit bats seemed undisturbed. They were squeaking and chittering as usual as they fed among the branches (our city figs are the favourite fruit trees of the local bat colony), but a large possum was looking distinctly anxious as it scurried among the fairy lights.
There are other trees in the city dressed up in fairy lights, too.
Decorating trees is a somewhat atavistic pleasure, a return to the days when our ancestors paid homage to the nature gods like Pan and the nymphs, the trees and forests. The Greek nymphs had a habit of turning into trees and flowers in times of stress, like Daphne, who turned into a laurel tree to escape the amorous Apollo.
There are trees named after nymphs, too. The Nyssa tree was named after Nyssa the water nymph because it grows near streams and lakes.
In pre-Christian Britain, Druids held religious ceremonies in sacred groves of oaks, while in India, Buddha meditated beneath a bo or peepul tree (Ficus religiosa), whose leaves are supposed to tremble with the memory of his thoughts.
The champak (Michelia champaca) is regarded as a sacred tree in parts of India and other Asian countries. It is also highly prized as a garden tree for its perfume and beauty, and is said to bring good fortune.
In Japan, the spirits of gods are believed to live in the camellia while they are on earthly transmigrations. For this reason, camellias are traditionally grown around temples and other places where people hope to attract friendly spirits.
Here in Australia, according to Aboriginal legend, the first waratah sprang up on the spot where a beautiful girl named Krubi pined away for love. The waratah is the floral emblem of NSW, which is also celebrating its 200th Birthday this year. A new form of the waratah has been developed and, if all goes well, it may be released later this year.
The spectacular sight of a Waratah in bloom will give a lift to anyone's spirits; however, the flower has been used in traditional Aboriginal medicine and also in Bach flower therapy.
Down the centuries many cultures have valued trees, but in Australia we seem to have spent more time chopping them down than appreciating their spiritual value.
After 200 years it is time we began to treat trees with the respect they deserve. We can't exist on this planet without trees and other plant life, which pours oxygen into the atmosphere so we can continue to breathe.
For people interested in the future of our trees, botanist and conservationist David Bellamy will give a lecture on February 1 in the Sir John Clancy Auditorium, University of NSW, entitled "200 Years Gone - 12 Years to Grow - A Botanist Looks at the 21st Century".
Dr Bellamy's lecture has been arranged by the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, in conjunction with the Continuing Education Unit of the University of NSW. For further information and bookings, telephone 2318182.
Sydney's Botanic Gardens is where all our agriculture and horticulture began and there is a special exhibition there at present called Starting From Scratch, which is free and open daily at the Visitors' Centre.
The Friends of the Garden will also hold their annual summer school, with the theme The Art Of Plants, on four consecutive Fridays from February 19. For further information and bookings telephone 2318182.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald