Flame of the Forest - Butea monosperma

Butea monosperma is a species of Butea native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. Butea monosperma, commonly called flame-of-the-forest or bastard teak, is a medium sized deciduous tree of the pea family that is native to humid lowland forested areas of India and Sri Lanka. It typically matures to 30-40’ tall. This tree features: (a) leathery medium to dark green compound trifoliate leaves (to 10-18” wide), each having three rhombus-shaped leaflets held by a long petiole; (b) leaf drop occurring in early winter; (c) black flower buds forming in mid-winter on leafless stems; (c) bicolor orange/red flowers (each to 2” long) blooming in dense clusters (racemes to 6” long) from late January to March; (d) flowers giving way to fruits (flat single-seeded pods to 3-4” long) which emerge pale green but mature to bronze-brown.

Flowers often produce an outstanding late winter bloom. Each flower has 5 petals, two wings and a beak-shaped keel purportedly resembling a curved parrot’s beak. Trees may not flower if winters are too cold or too dry or too wet.

Butea seeds, leaves, gum, and flowers all have medicinal properties.

Genus name honors John Stuart the third Earl of Bute (1713-1792).

Specific epithet means one-seeded.

Flame-of-the-forest common name is in reference to the orange and red flower colors which purportedly mimic the colors of fire.