Sita Ashok / Asoka Tree
Saraca asoca
Also known as True Asoka, Sita Asoka, Sesbania Pea, Canicha, Prickly Sesban
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- March-October
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Saraca asoca
- Genus
- Saraca
- Family
- Caesalpiniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Evergreen forests, also grown as ornamental tree
- Habitat type
- Forest, Cultivated
- Native to
- India, Sri Lanka
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh. Introduced in cultivation in Malaysia
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-October
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (VU)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Sita Ashok.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- सीता अशोक Sita Ashok, Sita Ashok, asok,अशोक वृक्ष ashoka vriksh
- Nepali
- अशोक Ashok
- Bengali
- অশোক Ashoka
- Tamil
- அசோகம் Ashokam, அசோகம், செயலை, பிண்டி
- Telugu
- అశోకము Asokamu, కంగేలి Kangeli, వంజులము Vanjulamu, అశోకము
- Kannada
- ಅಚಂಗೆ, ಆಚಂಗೆ Achange, ಅಚೆಂಗ Achenga
- Malayalam
- അശോകം Ashokam, ഹേമപുഷ്പം Hemapushpam
- Marathi
- अशोक Ashok, जासुंदी Jasundi, जसवंत Jaswant, अशोक
- Sanskrit
- azoka
- Gujarati
- અશોક
- Assamese
- অশোক
- Sinhala
- අශෝක
Sita Ashok in India
The true Ashoka is a sacred and culturally rich tree of India — सीता अशोक Sita Ashok (Hindi), அசோகம் Ashokam (Tamil), అశోకము Asokamu (Telugu), ಅಚಂಗೆ (Kannada), അശോകം Ashokam (Malayalam), अशोक Ashok (Marathi). Saraca asoca, native to India and Sri Lanka, is recorded across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, often planted near temples and homes.
Uses
The tree is steeped in mythology — it appears in the Ramayana as the tree of the Ashoka Vatika — and its flowers feature in worship. The bark is one of the better-known ingredients in Ayurveda, used in attributed traditional preparations (described for information, not medical advice).
How to Identify Sita Ashok
A small evergreen with drooping, dark-green compound leaves; new flushes hang limp and coppery before stiffening. Dense rounded clusters of fragrant flowers open orange and age to red. It is often confused with the unrelated 'false ashoka' (Polyalthia longifolia), a tall, narrow column-shaped tree.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Asoka tree called in different Indian languages?
- सीता अशोक Sita Ashok (Hindi); அசோகம் Ashokam (Tamil); అశోకము Asokamu (Telugu); ಅಚಂಗೆ (Kannada); അശോകം Ashokam (Malayalam); अशोक Ashok (Marathi); অশোক Ashoka (Bengali); અશોક (Gujarati); azoka (Sanskrit).
- Is the Ashoka tree the same as the tall pillar-shaped one?
- No — the tall, narrow 'Ashoka' planted along driveways is usually Polyalthia longifolia (false ashoka). The true Ashoka, Saraca asoca, is a smaller spreading tree with orange-red flower clusters.
- Why is the Ashoka tree culturally important?
- It appears in Indian epics and is associated with love and fertility; its flowers are used in worship and its bark is well known in Ayurveda.
Caesalpiniaceae
Senna family
Sita Ashok belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Caesalpiniaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Sita Ashok or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Caesalpiniaceae
View all Caesalpiniaceae →Sources: GBIF — Saraca asoca (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Saraca asoca (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Saraca asoca (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)