Butea monosperma

"Palash" redirects here. For the sub-district in Bangladesh, see Palash Upazila.
Butea monosperma
Top: inflorescence, bottom: leaf
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Butea
Species:
B. monosperma
Binomial name
Butea monosperma
Synonyms
  • Butea frondosa Roxb. ex Willd.[1]
  • Erythrina monosperma Lam.[2]
  • Plaso monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze[3]
A single flower in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The beak-shaped keel petal gave rise to the name "parrot tree".
Habit of B. monosperma in Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore

Butea monosperma is a species of Butea native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is also known as flame of the forest, Bengal kino, dhak, palash, and bastard teak.[2] Revered as sacred by Hindus, it is prized for producing an abundance of vivid blooms, and it is also cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.[4]

The plant grows across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia.[2]

  1. ^ "Butea frondosa Roxb. Ex Willd. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science".
  2. ^ a b c "Butea monosperma". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  3. ^ "Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub". theplantlist.org. ThePlantList. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  4. ^ Shah, Vaishali (2019-01-18). "Palasa | Hindu Lifestyle". Hindu Scriptures | Vedic lifestyle, Scriptures, Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaas, Smrutis, Sanskrit. Retrieved 2022-12-09.