Flower that only blooms every 12 years in India
21 Dec 2021
A flower that reportedly blooms only once every 12 years - the Neelakurinji or Kurinji - has turned the hills of Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve into fields upon fields of purplish-blue. The Times of India shared photos of the flowers and noted that they have been in bloom for the past two weeks.
In 2018, the National Geographic reported that the flower Strobilanthes kunthiana have only been in bloom, a total of 15 documented occasions since 1838. Similar to the bamboo plant, the Kurinji is also believed to be monocarpic -blooming only after reaching full maturity. The roots of the plant can also be used for medicinal properties and it only grows in the Western Passes of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
During a bloom of one type of Neelakurinji, Karnataka's Mandalpatti Hills during August of this year, forest officials explained, "There are nearly 250 varieties of Neelakurinji flowers. Among these, 46 are found in India. Some bloom once in five years, in seven years, 12 years and 14 years"
While swarms of visitors would wish to witness this rare sight, visitors to the area of Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) have been restricted since it was declared a Tiger reserve in 2011.