Iconic Trees of India

Iconic Trees of India is a celebration of the country’s most remarkable trees that have stood witness to its vibrant history and become envoys of its culture. Complemented by original watercolors, the book details each legendary tree along with its historical and cultural importance.

No two trees are the same. To really know them, we must understand them. To understand trees is to understand life itself.
Iconic Trees of India is a celebration of the country’s most remarkable trees that have stood witness to its vibrant history and become envoys of its culture. Complemented by original watercolors, the book details each legendary tree along with its historical and cultural importance. What makes a Giant Sequoia in Kashmir the loneliest tree of India? What is the dark history behind a peepal tree near Jabalpur? And how does a banyan tree in Hoskote host millions of bees? The answers to these questions and many more are told in detail, weaving together culture, communities, folklore and socio-political commentary.
S. Natesh has spent over a decade traveling to far-flung areas to research and document these talismans of nature. Carry this book along on your next travel and spot these trees, spend time with them and unravel the clues to India’s unique ecological heritage.
With the rising importance of trees in the fight against climate change, Iconic Trees of India is a captivating read, packed with astonishing information that reawakens our sense of wonder at the fascinating world we live in.

Dr. S. Natesh taught botany at the University of Delhi for nearly a decade before moving to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. Natesh received the Biospectrum Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution towards taking the Indian Biosciences Sector to new heights. A new plant species, Aponogeton nateshii, has been named in his honor. Currently he is an Honorary Fellow of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).