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GREEN NOTES
The scent of the night
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The enchantingly fragrant Parijat also has medicinal value
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Venerated The Parijat flower is venerated by Buddhists
Coral jasmine, also called the Night Jasmine, Parijat, Tree of Sorrow, is popularly known in Malayalam as Pavizha Malli or Pavizha Mulla. This tropical plant is found in India and many other Asian countries. It usually grows to a height of about 15-2
0 feet.
A profusely branching tree it has 5-10 cm sized evergreen leaves arranged on opposite sides. The upper half of the leaf margin is serrated, while the lower and upper surfaces of the leaves are covered with fine hairs.
Enchanting
The Parijat bears its flowers in small clusters on fresh terminal shoots. The flowers bloom at night and have a very enchanting fragrance. The beautiful, 2-3 cm sized flowers, have a snowy white corolla with eight petals and a strikingly bright orange /coral coloured corolla tube that makes the flower really stand out. The strangest thing is that most of us have not seen the beauty of these flowers in bloom; almost all the flowers are cast off before the morning sun.
The scientific name of this tree of oleaceae family is nyctanthes arbor-tristis. Like the common jasmine it flowers all the year round with seasonal ups and downs. On rare occasions it bears a few large, green, fruit capsules with one or two seeds.
Parijat is grown in household gardens and temples where the flowers are used for worship. The tree is especially venerated in Buddhist monasteries and pagodas.
Parijat can be easily grown by vegetative reproduction. Pencil sized mature stem cuttings are planted in pots under shade and transplanted after the cuttings are well established. Occasionally suckers formed from shallow roots can be cut with sufficient length of root, then removed and planted.
The plant can be grown without much care; needs good sunlight for profuse flowering and responds well to light manure. It does not need regular watering, but is less tolerant to drought and water logging.
Earlier, the flower tubes were used for making silk dyes. Some medicinal properties are also attributed this plant.
The flowers are used to treat fever, and vertigo, while the stems are sometimes used to treat headache. The leaves are used to treat arthritis, fevers and various painful conditions.
Legend has it that Lord Krishna brought this exotic plant from heaven to earth. Sathyabhama quarrelled for its possession and won. Krishna is said to have planted the tree in Sathyabhama’s palace taking care to ensure that the flowers fell inside Rugmini’s courtyard to the delight of his more beloved wife.
Kamala Suraiyya has immortalised the ‘pavizha malli’ through many of her writings which convey a very special emotional attachment to the tree.
R. THILAKAN
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