Tamil Nadu: May not for Mayflowers anymore

Coimbatore: The scarlet orange Gulmohars may not be called  Mayflowers anymore. The Gulmohars which blossom in the month of May and so were called Mayflowers have missed their date with blossoming May this year. The have shown significant change in their flowering pattern in Tamil Nadu, according to experts. 

 

The trees, which are ornamental and found in abundance in the state, have shown a delayed flowering pattern, which has puzzled the nature observers. botanists attribute the delay in the blossoming of May flower to climatic changes, but have no scientific evidence to back their claims “I observed more than 100 trees, grown in Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai, where the Mayflower trees have shown a similar pattern of delayed flowering. Normally, the tree starts to blossom in May and shed their flowers by the end of the same month. However, in a significant change, the Mayflower trees have started to flower only in the second week of June and they are now in full bloom,” said V S Ramachandran, a researcher and former professor in Department of Botany, Bharathiar University. 

 

The May flower trees, also known as Gulmohar in Hindi, got their name because they bloom in the month of May. The gorgeous Mayflower trees add colour and beauty along the stretches of Marudamalai Road, Mettupalayam Road in the foothills of Ooty, on the sprawling campus of Bharathiar University and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) campus and other spots. 

 

A native of Madagascar, the Mayflower trees are normally planted along the road sides and gardens for their flamboyant reds and oranges. “These trees also have several medicinal properties as they are used to treat constipation, inflammation, arthritis and hemiphlagia. In Bangladesh, these flowers are even used to cure diabetes,” Mr Ramachandran said. 

 

Besides Mayflower, the cassia fistula (kondrai poo in Tamil) trees and the impressive blue coloured jacaranda trees, found in large numbers in Ooty have also shown similar changes in their flowering pattern. 

 

“The cassia fistula, which usually blossoms in April were not uniform in their flowering, while jacaranda bloomed almost delayed by a month in the end of March this year. Such change in flowering pattern may sometimes confuse birds and cause changes in their migratory pattern,” said M Kannan, professor and head, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU). 

 

As these trees do not have economic value, the change in their flowering behavior normally goes unnoticed. 

 

“As we have found significant changes in the behavior of the trees only this year, we are planning to document and study them,” Mr Kannan said.