Palash / Flame Of The Forest
Butea monosperma
Also known as Bastard Teak, Bengal Kino Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- January-July
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Butea monosperma
- Genus
- Butea
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Indo-China, Tropical Himalayas, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailan
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Punjab, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-July
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- TrifoliaterecordedA compound leaf made of exactly three leaflets.“The leaves are pinnate, with an 8–16 cm (3.1–6.3 in) petiole and three leaflets.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Palash itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Orangerecorded
- Flower arrangement
- RacemerecordedIndividual stalked flowers arranged along a central stem, opening from bottom to top.“The flowers are 2.5 cm (0.98 in) long, bright orange-red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- LegumerecordedA dry pod that splits open along two seams (typical of the pea/bean family).“The fruit is a pod 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) long and 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in) broad.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Palash itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- पलाश palash
- Nepali
- पलाँसको बोट
- Bengali
- পলাশ
- Tamil
- புரசு, பலாசு, புரசை
- Telugu
- మోదుగ
- Kannada
- ಪಲಾಶ
- Malayalam
- പ്ലാശ്
- Marathi
- पळस
- Sanskrit
- पलाश / किंशुक
- Gujarati
- કેસૂડો, ખાખરો, પલાશ
Palash in India
When palash blooms, dry Indian forests turn flame-orange — पलाश (Hindi), புரசு (Tamil), మోదుగ (Telugu), ಪಲಾಶ (Kannada), പ്ലാശ് (Malayalam), पळस (Marathi). Butea monosperma is recorded across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and is celebrated as the 'flame of the forest'.
Uses
Its brilliant orange-red flowers are the traditional source of natural Holi colour (tesu) and are used in worship; the tree is sacred in several traditions. The flowers, bark and seeds also feature in attributed Ayurvedic preparations, and the leaves are stitched into leaf-plates (pattal).
How to Identify Palash
A medium tree, often crooked, that flowers when nearly leafless in spring — dense clusters of curved, beak-shaped orange-red blooms. The leaves are trifoliate with large leathery leaflets, and the flat pods carry a single seed at the tip.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Flame of the Forest called in different Indian languages?
- पलाश (Hindi); புரசு (Tamil); మోదుగ (Telugu); ಪಲಾಶ (Kannada); പ്ലാശ് (Malayalam); पळस (Marathi); পলাশ (Bengali); કેસૂડો (Gujarati); पलाश / किंशुक (Sanskrit).
- Why is palash called the flame of the forest?
- In spring the leafless tree covers itself in vivid orange-red flowers, so a hillside of palash looks as if it is on fire.
- Is palash used for Holi colours?
- Yes — the flowers (tesu) are the classic traditional source of natural orange-yellow Holi colour, made by soaking them in water.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Palash belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Fabaceae
View all Fabaceae →Sources: GBIF — Butea monosperma (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Butea monosperma (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Butea monosperma (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)