Plants

Flame of the Forest

Butea monosperma

Name

Marathi:	पळस
Hindi:	पलाश

Biological Classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Spermatophyta
Sub-Division:	Angiospermae
Class:	Dicotyledonae
Sub-Class:	Polypetalae
Series:	Calyciflorae
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Leguminosae
Sub-Family:	Papillionaceae
Genus:	Butea
Species:	monosperma

Advantages

It is extensively planted on roadsides and can be naturally found in ghats.
The leaves serve as plates for domestic purposes, and petals yield and orange dye.
A gum exudes from the tree and is used in medicine.

Interesting Facts

The genus name "Butea" refers to its beauty when it blooms with entire orange-coloured flowers in summers, so it is also called as "Flame of the Forest".
The tree always has 3 leaves arising at any given point, which refers to a Marathi saying.

Description

It is a small tree with tri-foliate leaves having a rough margin.
The flowering season is in the months of summer, in February-March.
Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub.

Reference

Systematic Botany, R. N. Sutaria, Second Edition and Taxonomy of Angiosperms S. N. Pandey and S. P. Mishra.

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