AshokaTree Plant

The Ashoka is a rain-forest tree. Its original distribution was in the central areas of the Deccan plateau, as well as the middle section of the Western Ghats in the western coastal zone of the Indian Subcontinent. The Ashoka is prized for its beautiful foliage and fragrant flowers. It is a very handsome, small, erect evergreen tree, with deep green leaves growing in dense clusters. 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. Here are a few varieties of the Ashoka tree. One variety is larger and highly spreading. The columnar varieties are common in cultivation. It is also used for medical purposes.
Ashoka tree has several other indigenous names which have been assigned to the tree by various regions and states. For instance it is known as Asok or Devdaru in Bengali, Ashopalava in Gujrati and Aksath in Kannada. The various other names of the tree are as follows Anagam in Tamil, Asoka in Telegu, Asok in Punjabi, Asoc in Konkani, Asoko in Oriya, Asokam in Malayalam and Ashokam in Sanskrit. Apart from the various regional names it has a scientific name of Saraca asoca. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been home to the Ashoka plant. Interestingly the plant does not require any specific natural conditions for its growth; it grows in places like central and eastern Himalayan foothills and in the western peninsular India. Ashoka plant also forms a major part of the evergreen forest in the southern part of India. More than being a part of the natural forest, the plant is more a part of the planted trees.