Botanical Name – Butea Monosperma

Common Name – Palash or Flame of forest

Habit

• Deciduous Tree
• Medium
• Slow growing
  
  

Specific Properties

• Drought Tolerant
• Restores disturbed and degraded land
• Increases soil organic carbon and water holding capacity in soil
  
  

Ecology

• Birds, bees, squirrels feed on nectar
• Around 100 bird species are associated for feeding, roosting and nesting
• It is host plant for 8 butterfly species
  
  

Uses

• Flowers are used to make yellow dye and natural colours
• Seeds, have anthelmintic, antifungal, antibacterial and purgative properties
• Flowers are used in the treatment of liver disorders, eye disease, chronic fever, enlargement of spleen, leucorrhoea, epilepsy, leprosy, antifertility treatment, gout etc
• Bark has anti-asthmatic properties
• Gum is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and wounds and used in food.
• Leaves used to make leaf plates and cups
• Used in natural lac production as tree hosts lac insect
• Bark has tannins
• Tree fibre is used to make seams of boats and making paper
• Leaves as green Manure and fodder
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds