Neelakurinji

In  News

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji ( Strobilanthes kunthiana) under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including it on the list of protected plants.

Image Courtesy:TH

About Neelakurinji

• Kurinji or Neelakurinji is a shrub that grows in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India.
• It is a shrub of the Acanthaceae family that famously blooms once every 12 years. 
• Scientific Name: Strobilanthes kunthiana.
  • Strobilanthes is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia and Madagascar.

• In the Western Ghats region, nearly 70 varieties of Neelakurinji plants have been identified. 
• The Eravikulam National Park, near Munnar, is known for widespread blooming of the kurinji, with the next flowering season expected in 2030.

Source:TH