The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Kurinji' flowering enthralls Ooty tourists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 18, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Kurinji' flowering enthralls Ooty tourists

By Our Staff Reporter

UDHAGAMANDALAM, OCT. 17. The journey between Ooty and Gudalur has for the past couple of months been made more interesting thanks to `kurinji,' the wonder flower dotting the roadsides. The District Forest Officer, Nilgiris South Division, K.N. Sreganesh, said here today that the mass flowering of the plant known as strobilanthes in the Nilgiris had evoked great excitement. The latest flowering was on either side of the Pykara and Naduvattam Road, which formed part of the Ooty-Gudalur highway, Parson's Valley, the Lord Wenlock Downs Reserve Forest and Emerald Valley.

Stating that strobilanthes was represented by over 200 species, Mr. Sreganesh said about 150 of them were found in India, particularly in the Western Ghats. Pointing out that very few of the species were annuals, he said many of them bloom at intervals ranging from 6-12 years and some of them take as long as 35 years.

Mr. Sreganesh claimed that in the Nilgiris, all plants `come alive' at the same time and present a breathtaking look. An outcome of the flowering of strobilanthes was that a number of honeybees made the plants their temporary home.

Stating that kurinji always evoked interest among the people here, he said among the earliest records available about this plant was a letter written in 1826 by Thomas Munroe, the first British Governor of Madras Presidency to his wife in England to visit Ootacamund (now Udhagamandalam). When he reached a ridge on the 8,800 feet Dodabetta Peak from Kotagiri, Sir Munroe wrote, ``The view is so grand and magnificent hat I shall always regret you not having seen it''.

Mr. Sreganesh said it was possible to see the flowers till the end of next month.

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