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Tree Talks

Episode 1

Rooted Histories

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

Transcripts: English / Tamil / Sinhala

In celebration of the Lunuganga gardens 75^th anniversary, Tree Talks podcast explores the lives of flora and ecosystems within the gardens. Bought on the eve of independence in 1948, Lunuganga is Geoffrey Bawa’s first and longest running architectural endeavour, join us as we unravel the intricacies of this living archive.

This episode is a walk through Lunuganga on a cool January day with Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, naturalist, photographer and author of 'A Naturalist Guide to the Trees of Sri Lanka'. Gehan uncovers the intricacies of Lunuganga's flora and the fauna that flourish in its embrace as he reflects on the histories and migrations of select trees along the path and the influence of humans on globalised horticulture.

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne is a passionate naturalist who has written and photographed over 25 books and over 400 articles. He has popularized birds, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies and trees and wild flowers commencing with a series of pictorial guides which dates back to 2001. He is widely credited as the person who branded Sri Lanka as a top wildlife destination. He combined science, fieldwork, writing, photography, publishing and business skills with a flair for taking a story to local and international print and film media. For over eight years he has been Chairperson of the London Bird Club (LBC), one of the sections of the London Natural History Society (LNHS).

*Clarification [03:54]: Plant matter in general dates back four hundred to five hundred million years, not water lilies specifically.

Legend for Map

1. Water lily (family Nymphaeaceae)
2. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
3. Betelnut Palm (Areca catechu)
4. Bamboo (subfamily Bambusoideaek)
5. Bilin (Averrhoa bilimbi)
6. Mahogany (Swietenia mahogani)
7. Banana (family Musaceae)
8. Mango (Mangifera indica)
9. Kaduru (Cerbera odollam)
10. Frangipani (Plumeria Obtusa)

11. Dillenia (family Dilleniaceae)
12. Na (Mesua ferrea)
13. Fish-tail Palm (Caryota urens)
14. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
15. Dillenia 
16. Kaduru (Cerbera odollam)
17. Screw Pine
18. Betelnut Palm (Areca catechu)
19. Hora (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus)

Compendium of Species Mentioned in this Episode

Flora

Betelnut Palm (Areca catechu)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Bilin (Averrhoa bilimbi)
Mahogany (Swietenia mahogani)
Mango (Mangifera indica)
Cashewnut (Anacardium occidentale)
Atamba (Mangifera zeylanica)
Kaduru (Cerbera odollam)
Frangipani (Plumeria Obtusa)
Na (Mesua ferrea)
Fish-tail Palm (Caryota urens)
Hora (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus)

Fauna

[Ceylon] Small Barbet (Megalaima rubricapillus)
Grey-headed Fishing Eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus)
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)
Green Barbet (Cryptolybia olivacea)
Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)
Loten’s Sunbird (Cinnyris lotenius)
Sri Lanka Hanging-Parrots (Loriculus beryllinus)
Sri Lanka Green Pigeons (Treron pompadora)
Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys (Semnopithecus vetulus)
Sri Lanka Flameback (Dinopium psarodes)

Additional References

Vines
Epiphytes
Mosses
Liverworts and Bryophytes
Pinnate
Bamboo (subfamily Bambusoideaek)
Banana (family Musaceae)
Musa
Anacardiaceae
Plumeria
Red Frangipani (Plumeria rubra)
Arecaceae
Dillenia
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica)
Calamus manan
Calamus plants
Corypha umbraculifera
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)

Pigeon (family Columbidae)
Barbet (family Capitonidae)
Parakeet (subfamily Psittacinae)
Blue Whales (Balaenoptera musculus)
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus)

︎︎︎ Etymology of epiphytes
︎︎︎ Indonesian Moluccas
︎︎︎ Portuguese arrival in Sri Lanka
︎︎︎ Chinese Admiral Zheng He  
︎︎︎ Dutch history of lamprais: The lamprais legacy, article by Sunday Observer, 7th January 2018 
︎︎︎ Plumeria: Charles Plumier (1646 - 1704), French monk and botanist
︎︎︎ Dillenia: Johann Jacob Dillenius (1684-1747), Professor of Botany
︎︎︎ A Naturalist Guide to the Trees of Sri Lanka by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, 2019
︎︎︎ Sinharaja Forest Reserve
︎︎︎ Gondwana
︎︎︎ History of the Birds of Ceylon by Captain W. Vincent Legge, 1878 (archive.org)


Credits
Produced by: Geoffrey Bawa Trust
Supervising Producer: Aneesha Mustachi
Coordinator: Dhaneesha Tharakie
Audio Engineer: Shamin de Silva


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.