| Ashoka tree | |
|---|---|
_flowers_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4146.jpg) | |
| Ashoka flower cluster | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Saraca |
| Species: | S. asoca |
| Binomial name | |
| Saraca asoca | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Saraca asoca, commonly known as theashoka tree (lit. "sorrow-less"), is a plant belonging to theDetarioideae subfamily of theFabaceae family of plants (also referred to as the legume, pea, or bean family).[3]
The tree is native to theIndian subcontinent, with its native range extending fromPakistan to the west, throughIndia andBangladesh toMyanmar in the east, and fromBhutan andNepal in the north toSri Lanka in the south. Within its native range, it is primarily growing in seasonallydry tropical forests.[4]
It is an important tree to multiple cultural traditions across theIndian subcontinent and beyond.
The flower of ashoka tree is the state flower of Indian state ofOdisha.[5]
The ashoka is arain-forest tree. Its original distribution was in the central areas of theDeccan Plateau, as well as the middle section of theWestern Ghats in the western coastal zone of the Indian subcontinent.
The ashoka is prized for its beautiful foliage and fragrantflowers. It is a handsome, small, erectevergreen tree, with deep green leaves growing in dense clusters.
Its flowering season is around February to April. The ashoka flowers come in heavy, lush bunches. They are bright orange-yellow in color, turning red before wilting.
As a wild tree, the ashoka is avulnerable species. It is becoming rarer in its natural habitat, but isolated wild ashoka trees are still to be found in the foothills of the central and easternHimalayas, in scattered locations of the northern plains of India as well as on the west coast of the subcontinent nearMumbai.[citation needed]
There are a few varieties of the ashoka tree. One variety is larger and highly spreading. The columnar varieties are common in cultivation.
_leaves_%2526_flowers_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4175.jpg)
The ashoka tree is used as a traditional medicinal plant.[6]It is considered sacred throughout the Indian subcontinent, especially inIndia,Nepal andSri Lanka. This tree has manyfolklorical, religious and literary associations in the region. Highly valued as well for its handsome appearance and the color and abundance of itsflowers, the ashoka tree is often found in royal palace compounds and gardens as well as close to temples throughout India.[7]
The ashoka tree is closely associated with theyakshi mythological beings. One of the recurring elements inIndian art, often found at gates of Buddhist and Hindu temples, is the sculpture of a yakshini with her foot on the trunk and her hands holding the branch of a flowering ashoka tree. As an artistic element, often the tree and the yakshi are subject to heavystylization. Some authors hold that the young girl at the foot of this tree is based on an ancienttree deity related tofertility.[8]
Yakshis under the ashoka tree were also important in early Buddhist monuments as a decorative element and are found in many ancient Buddhist archaeological sites. With the passing of the centuries the yakshi under the ashoka tree became a standard decorative element of HinduIndian sculpture and was integrated intoIndian temple architecture assalabhanjika, because there is often a confusion between the ashoka tree and thesal tree (Shorea robusta) in the ancient literature of theIndian subcontinent.[9]
InHinduism the ashoka is considered a sacred tree. Not counting a multitude of local traditions connected to it, the ashoka tree is worshipped inChaitra,[10] a month of theHindu calendar.[10] It is also associated withKamadeva, the Hindu god of love, who included an ashoka blossom among the five flowers in his quiver, where ashoka represent seductive hypnosis.[11] Hence, the ashoka tree is often mentioned in classicalIndian religious and amorous poetry, having at least sixteen different names inSanskrit referring to the tree or its flowers.[12]
InMahākāvya, orIndian epic poetry, the ashoka tree is mentioned in theRamayana in reference to theAshoka Vatika (garden of ashoka trees) whereHanuman first meetsSita.
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The ashoka tree is sometimes incorrectly known asSaraca indica.[13]
A popular tree known as "false ashoka tree" or even as "ashoka tree",Polyalthia longifolia, is cultivated to resemble the growth pattern of erect pillar-like Mediterraneancypress trees. It is a popular park and garden plant, much used in landscaping on the Indian subcontinent, known also asDevadaar orDebdaru. This tree can easily be distinguished by its simple leaves and very different flowers. Ashoka flowers are red (initially orange in color) whileP. longifolia flowers are apple green in color. Ashoka fruits look like broad beans containing multiple seeds while false ashoka fruits are small, spherical and contain only one seed. Ashoka trees are small in height, while false ashoka is taller.
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