Queen's Flower or Hole dasavala Lagerstroemia speciosa

Queen's Flower or Hole dasavala Lagerstroemia speciosa

Did you know that Queen's Flower or Hole dasavala or Lagerstroemia speciosa, a plant native to India particularly to the western ghats, is known by the specific epithet 'reginae' or 'flosreginae', which means "imperial or flower of the queen"?

Queen's Flower or Hole dasavala (ಹೊಳೆ ದಾಸವಾಳ in Kannada language), also known as 'giant crepe-myrtle', 'Queen's crepe-myrtle', 'banabá plant', or 'pride of India', or 'Queen's Flower' or 'Jarul' with the botancial name Lagerstroemia speciosaa is a deciduous tree with profusion of flowers in purple, lilac or pinkish-violet colours that lasts for many months. It is native to India in particular to western ghats of India covering Belgaum, north and south Kanara, Malabar and Travancore, and also in Assam and West Bengal. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas of Asia and also widely in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan.

The name "Queen's Flower" is derived from the specific epithet 'reginae' or 'flosreginae', which means "imperial or flower of the queen". The tree bears beautiful attractive flowers in profusion in purple, lilac or pinkish-violet colours, and lasts for many months. It is named after Magnus V. Lagerstroem , a swedish merchant. Its timber is next only to teak in its strength. It is called Queen Crape myrtle as its flowers look like delicate crape paper.

Apart from its English name of Pride of India, Queen Crepe Myrtle it is also known by many vernacular names in India, such as: Ajbar in Assamese; Ajar or Jarul in Bengali; Jarul जरुल in Hindi; Hole dasavala ಹೊಳೆ ದಾಸವಾಳ in Kannada; Adambu in Malayalam; Tamhan, Jarul, Motha Bondara in Marathi; Kadali in Tamil; and Manimaruthu in Telugu.

Queen Crepe Myrtle is a small to medium-sized to large tree growing to 15 metres (49 ft) tall, with an attractive symmetrical crown having a short bole or trunk with smooth, flaky light grey or cream-colured bark. The leaves are simple, deciduous, oval to elliptic with stout petiole. The fruits are ellipsoid or sub-globose woody capsules. They are green at first, but later turn brown and finally black. The fruits hang on to the trees. It is easily raised through seeds. It grows best on rich deep alluvial loams and prefers warm, humid and moist soils and can withstand water logging

Queen Crepe Myrtle has many Medicinal uses. Seeds are narcotic, bark and leaves are purgative, roots are astringent, stimulant amd febrifuge (fever removing). Decoction of its leavse is used in diabetes,. In Manipur its fruit is used as local application for apathy of the mouth. It is one of the 69 herbal plants promoted by the Philippine Department of Health. 

Pride of India or Tāmhan in Marathi is recognised as the state flower of the state of Maharashtra. 

In Hindu mythology, it is said that worshipping Lord Brahma in front of this tree results in blossoming of the flowers of Giant Crape Myrtle and Banaba tree, and as such it brings prosperity to the house of the wroshipper.

In Theravada Buddhism, this plant known as Murutha in Sinhala and Mahaasona in Sanskrit, is said to have been used as the tree for achieving enlightenment, or Bodhi

 by the eleventh Buddha ("Paduma") and the twelfth Buddha (Naarada). 

Source: Extracts from wikiepdia with inputs on 20 January 2023.

Narasipur Char