A flower that blossoms regularly once in 12 years- Neelakurinji

Neela kurinji - Flowering mountains
@astroo13 (963)
India
February 17, 2007 11:51am CST
I had the good fortune of seeing the mountain blue with neelakurinji. It was a spectacular sight. Records show that it has consistently flowered every 12 years from 1826. It has never disappointed its admirers. Sadly those of you who have not seen this will have to wait till 2018,because it flowered last year. Scientist have not been able to decipher the meaning of this blossoming of neelakurinji every 12 years without missing a beat. Any one interested in this will be amazed when they search for more details of the plant.Regards
2 responses
mipen2006
@mipen2006 (5528)
• Australia
17 Feb 07
I have never heard of this plant. Is it native to a small area only, or is it found extensively? You've aroused my interest, so I'll check it out on the net.
astroo13
@astroo13 (963)
• India
18 Feb 07
It is found only in Nilgiri mountains. The truly unique fact of this plant is that it regrown and blossomed even after major fires burned almost every plant in the mountains. This has happened a couple of times.
mariner68
@mariner68 (1276)
• India
17 Feb 07
i haven't see the flower, but have seen the plant in which it blossoms. the plant is located in kodaikanal in tamilnadu, india. isn't it?
astroo13
@astroo13 (963)
• India
17 Feb 07
Yes but there are neelakurinjis in kerala also.It is located in the nilgiri hills. Some part of the hill is in kerala and the rest is in Tamil Nadu. Munnar had the most flowering in 2006. Munnar is the place to see in kerala while kodaikanal is the place for Tamil Nadu.Regards