Also called Palash, tesu, or Flame of the Forest, the plant grows as a medium-sized tree and is a native to India. The tree grows up to 40 feet high and has a distinctive appearance due to its grey bark, irregular branches, and crooked trunk. The pinnate leaves have three leaflets each, which also brings to the very famous Hindi saying, ‘dhaak ke teen paat.’ The tree doesn’t flower until January, and even its leaves fall until then. From January to March, the tree is laden with orange-vermillion flowers, which also lend it the most famous name, ‘The Tree of the Flame!’ The flowers have five petals with a beak-shaped keel. The keel also earns it another colloquial name- parrot tree. Birds are the main pollinators of the flowers. The flowers grow in clusters on leafless branches. Palash tree flower Tesu flowers or Butea Monosperma were used to make natural colors during the festival of Holi. In Manipur, when a member of the Meitei community dies and his body is untraceable, the rest of the family cremates the wood of this tree instead of the body. The flowers are the perfect way to control and manage indoor pollutants. In tribal areas, women use the flowers to adorn themselves. Palash flowers are believed to have religious value and are used in havan or yagna ceremonies. Palash is considered a sacred tree and the Indian Postal Department also issued a postal stamp to celebrate the value of the flower it adds to the Indian landscape. Palash / Butea Monosperma is also the state flower of Jharkhand. It is also believed that Palash is the form of the God of life himself- Agni.