Mass flowering of Neelakurinji expected in 2018

It will begin around April or May in Kodaikanal and by September or October in The Nilgiris, say botanists; want factors behind erratic blooming studied

Strobilanthes kunthiana or Neelakurinji flowering along the Ooty-Gudalur Road.

Swathes of shola grasslands in the blue mountains are likely to hit a purple patch with the expected mass blooming of kurinji flowers (Strobilanthes kunthiana) by next winter.

The flower, also called Neelakurinji and special to the western ghats, especially The Nilgiris, has a 12-year flowering cycle. “The mass flowering of the Neelakurinji will begin around April or May in Kodaikanal next year. In The Nilgiris, the flowers usually start blooming by September or October according to the flowering cycles studied by botanists in Kerala,” says G. Rajkumar, chief co-ordinator, Save Kurinji Campaign Council, Tamil Nadu.

In Tamil Nadu, less than 10% of the total number of Strobilanthes plants remain, as most of the grasslands where they occur have been destroyed because of the establishment of tea estates and introduction of invasive species, he notes with concern.

‘Conservation efforts’

“Though Munnar has the largest concentration of the Strobilanthes out of the 46 varieties found in India, there needs to be more studies conducted on the species found across the Western Ghats to ensure their conservation,” says Mr. Rajkumar. Though the gregarious flowering of the Strobilanthes kunthiana is expected in 2018 across many parts of the Western Ghats, it has also been spotted sporadically in pockets across The Nilgiris, including Mulligoor, in 2016.

‘Blooming cycle altered’

“Due to a variety of factors, including climate change, the 12-year cycle for the blooming of the Neelakurinji has been completely altered,” says S. Ramsunder, a horticulturalist.

“The erratic blooming cycles in pockets of The Nilgiris need further study so that the iconic flower can be conserved,” he says.

Tarun Chhabra, a conservationist and expert on Toda culture in The Nilgiris, says, “It is a mistake to believe that the kunthiana across The Nilgiris and the Western Ghats flower in unison every dozen years. “The blooming of the kunthiana occurs in different habitats and valleys on different years. So a kunthiana which bloomed in Mulligoor in 2016 would have bloomed last in 2004, while other plants in other pockets of the Western Ghats will bloom during different years,” he says, stressing the need for the conservation of the species.