Come the spring season, dry deciduous forests of India begin to burst into fire-less flames. This fiery eruption is attributed to the tree rightly called ‘Flame of the Forest’ – the Palash tree. Its beautiful flowers come in a highly unique shade of bright orange, and when in full bloom, they edge out all its leaves. An avenue lined with these trees are bound to give fair competition to the famous Jacaranda, Ginkgo and Cherry blossom avenues of the world.
Its flowers have been traditionally used to play Holi, and also as a dye.
The Dhak tree has mesmerized poets and artists of ancient India. It has also inspired philosophers, who went on to coin the famous Hindi proverb ‘dhak ke teen paat’ (literally – three leaves of the dhak tree, figuratively – a futile attempt). It may be noted here that Palash or Dhak displays a compound leaf feature with three leaflets rather leathery to touch. These leaves make for good fodder. The bark is used to make ropes, and research has shown it to possess antibacterial, antifungal, hypo-glycemic (anti-diabetic), and anti-inflammatory activities.
Ecologically speaking, the Palash is a pioneer species.