Butea monosperma
Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Flame of the Forest, Palash
Butea is a medium-sized deciduous tree with leathery, dark green compound trifoliate leaves. Each leaf consists of three rhombus-shaped leaflets, attached to a long petiole. In mid-winter, before the tree’s leaves appear, black flower buds form on leafless stems. The flowers are bicolored, orange/red, and bloom in dense clusters (racemes). Each flower has five petals, with two winged petals and a beak-shaped keel that is said to resemble a curved parrot’s beak. The tree produces flat, single-seeded pods that start pale green and mature to a bronze-brown color.
The seeds, leaves, gum, and flowers of Butea all have medicinal properties. The tree is also a dye-yielding plant, with its flowers used in the traditional color play during the spring festival of Holi. The wood is soft and dirty white, commonly used to make well curbs and water scoops. The plant is versatile, providing timber, resin, fodder, and medicinal uses. Additionally, it serves as a crucial host for the lac bug, which produces shellac. The gum from the tree is used as an astringent in various traditional remedies.