Family: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Butea monosperma
Common name: Flame of the forest / Palash
Origin: South Asia
The flame of the forest flourishes stunningly beautiful with plumes full of bright, orange-red flowers. The flowers are pollinated by the Purple Sunbird, which can reach the nectar with its long beak without damaging the flowers. It is a tropical tree that can reach a height of 12 meters in nature and can also be kept as a pot plant with a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius. A sunny spot is necessary for proper growth. The species plays an important role in the production of shellac. This is produced by the lacquer painting louse that lives in tropical regions on the tree. Shellac is used by the pharmaceutical industry and, for example, can also be used for the wax coating of a lemon. In addition, this species has religious significance to Hindus, which light fires in their temples with the wood of the tree.
Sowing instructions: Soak seeds for 48 hours in water and sow 1 cm deep in a combination of sowing mix and silica sand (1:1). Cover with plastic foil or glass and keep the soil constantly moist. Let them germinate in a warm place (25-30 degrees Celsius). It can be quite hard to make the seeds germinate.
Sowing time: All year round
Difficulty: Challenging
Minimum temperature: 3 degrees Celsius
Photo 2: Siriwan Phusanawiwat
