Page 10 - common trees of flowers of Uttarakhand

010 | COMMON TREES AND FLOWERS OF UTTARAKHAND WILDFLOWERS OF THE MID-ELEVATIONS IN THE HIMALAYA

Flame of the Forest Butea monosperma
Alternate English name: Local name: Palash | Tesu | Dhak

Synonym vulneable/endangered/etc.
Leaf size small to medium.
Leaf shape large, round, trifoliate.
Flowers bright fire-orange colour
(exceptions: white or yellow). Flower shape
like a parakeet beak. Flowers in clusters.
Flowering period around Holi festival.
End February-March.
Bark/trunk crooked, without thorns.
Fruit single-seeded, flat, broad pod ~ 15-
20cm long.
Fruiting period Apr-May.
Distinguishing feature of tree to help in its Sanjay Sondhi
identification crooked trunk, without thorns.

Description Often called as the trinity leaf
i.e. Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the
preserver and Shiva, the destroyer. Its
flowers can be soaked to make coloured
water for Holi festival. Squirrels, monkeys,
parakeets, mynas, bulbuls, etc visit to feed
on its flower nectar
Larval Host Plant
Butterflies: Forget-me-not, Plains Cupid,
Sanjay Sondhi Blue, Pea Blue, Lemon Emigrant.
Dark Cerulean, Common Cerulean, Gram

Moths: Green Coat Moth Parasa lepida

Habitat: Dry deciduous forest, wasteland. Never
found in dense forest always in open area or on
outskirts of forest in dry soil. It can withstand
frost and water logging, drought, poor soils,
heavy clay and salinity.
Distribution: Plains of Uttarakhand. Indian
subcontinent.

TERAI MID-ALTITUDE
LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE
COMMON TREES AND FLOWERS OF UTTARAKHAND
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