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Prof K N Rao is a distinguished Botany Professor who has authored several textbooks for college students. He is also the author of several short stories in Telugu published in prestigious Telugu periodicals and a thought-provoking book in English called Voices of Human Civilization.

Where trees abound, the variety of life forms is mind boggling. This is not surprising; after all, the green plant forms the bedrock upon which a huge ecological pyramid stands. A tree is the home of many ecosystems: it serves as the starting point of numerous food chains. Indeed, a tree is at the centre of many biogeochemical cycles and thus serves as a conduit that connects the organic and inorganic worlds.

Trees and Tree Tales: Some Common Trees of Chennai has been written to arouse the readers' interest in the trees of Chennai, which they see but do not notice. The book covers indigenous species such as the banyan and peepul and exotics such as the baobab. Besides the profiles of trees, Prof K N Rao gives the legends connected with them and peppers the narrative with real life incidents.