African Tulip Tree

Spathodea campanulata

Summary: A tall slender evergreen tree with feather compound (pinnate) leaves, both leaves and leaflets are oppositely arranged. Flowers which are on the tree from late winter till April (and often even in Sep-Oct) are large bell-shaped and orange to scarlet

Leaves: 4-9 pair pointed leaflets with a terminal one. leaf 12-18’’ long, leaflets 2-4’’

Bark: light grey, fibrous, relatively smooth

Flower: Cup/bell shaped, orange or scarlet in color, in dense terminal clusters. Very prominent

Fruit: Long pointed woody pod, around 10-12’’

Seasons: Never leafless, flower buds appear in Jan and start blooming in Late Jan till April. Sometime another blooming phase happens in Sep-Oct.

Range/Habitat: Originally from equatorial Africa. Introduced recently (late 19^th Century), has become naturalized in India (hence potentially invasive)

Trivia & Comments: The Bengali name Rudra Palash must have been coined rather recently as Bentall (1946) did not mention any vernacular name. Probably the name is due to a (faint) similarity with Butea monosperma’s flower which is called Palash in Bengali.

Where to Find: Very common in the stretch beside the main road that runs beside (the lake side) of padma pukur (22.51202 N,88.36105E)