Rare Neelakurinji flowers that bloom once every 12 years were seen at Mandalapatti hill in the Kodagu district. The pictures of the rare sight were shared by news agency ANI on Twitter which soon caught everyone's attention. The tweet has since then liked by more than 14k people.
Karnataka | Neelakurinji flowers, which bloom once every 12 years, seen at Mandalapatti hill in Kodagu district. pic.twitter.com/DgpZaYoFQI
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2021
The flowers started blooming last week and the entire hillock region is expected to be covered with purple beauty in the coming days.
Neelakurinji flowers
About Flowers of Love
Also called 'flowers of love', Neelakurinji is locally known as Kurinji flowers. The plant is believed to possess medicinal values.
The flower belongs to a shrub found in the Shola forests of the Western Ghats in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and is one of the main tourists' attractions in South India.
The flowers grow at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,400 metres. Shrubs grow 30-60 cm high, however, under suitable conditions, they can grow beyond 180 cm.
The plant belongs to the genus Strobilanthes which has around 250 species. Of these, 46 species are found in India. The genus was first described by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in the 19th century.
Why do Neelakurinji flowers bloom in 12 years?
According to the Kerala Tourism website, “The blossom takes 12 years as the pollination for the Neelakurinji flowers need such a long period. In botany, this is referred to as the 'survival mechanism' of plants. Longer pollination helps the species to escape total destruction by predators or even due to climate changes. While Neelakurinji possesses the greatest threat from the birds and grass-eating mammals, there is a chance that annual pollination might increase the biological threat to the species, and thus it takes such an extended period to bloom.”
Thousands of tourists from across the state are heading straight to the hillock region to have a surreal experience of vibrant bluish-purple hue amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
#Karnataka: For those who love to witness the hills of Coorg (Madikeri) bathed in a dreamy shade of blue, the Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), a flower which blooms once in 12 years are already giving sight to behold. pic.twitter.com/au0JPNeklv
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) August 19, 2021
| Do you know? Nilgiri Hills obtained its name from the bluish-purplish Neelakurinji flowers while the flower's name originated from the river Kunthi. |
Also Read: 10 unexpected Medicinal uses of Flowers
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