FoI
Yellow Snake Tree
Share Foto info
Yellow Snake Tree
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Yellow Snake Tree, Trumpet flower tree • Hindi: पारल paral, पारोली paroli • Manipuri: মিস্সী Missi • Marathi: पाडळ padal • Tamil: அம்பு ampu, அம்புவாகினி ampuvakini, பாடலம் patalam, பாதிரி patiri, புன்காலி punkali • Malayalam: കരിങ്ങഴ karingazha, പാതിരി paathiri, പൂപ്പാതിരി puuppaathiri • Telugu: అంబువాసిని ambuvasini, కలిగొట్టు kaligottu, పాదిరి padiri, పాటల patala • Kannada: ಕಲಾದ್ರಿ Kalaadri, ಪಾದರಿ Paadari, ಕಲ್ಲುದುರೆ Kalludure, ಪಡ್ಳಿ Padli, ಮಲ್ಲರಿ Mallari • Bengali: পারুল parul • Oriya: pamphunia • Konkani: पाडल paadal • Urdu: پارل paral • Assamese: Dhapatita, পৰ্ৰোলী Parroli • Gujarati: પાડેલી padeli • Sanskrit: पाटला patala • Mizo: Zihnghal
Botanical name: Stereospermum tetragonum    Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda family)
Synonyms: Bignonia colais, Stereospermum colais, Stereospermum personatum

Yellow Snake Tree is a deciduous tree, growing to 15-20 m tall, with the trunk 15-25 cm in diameter. Large pinnate leaves are 25-50 cm long. Elliptic leaflets, 3-6 on each side of midrib, are 8-14 X 2.5-6 cm. Flowers are pale yellow, with reddish-purple veins, slightly curved, about 2 cm long. Upper lip is 2-lobed, and the lower one 3-lobed, velvety at the mouth. The fruit is long, 4-angular, curved, 30-70 cm, about 1 cm in diameter, brown, covered with white specks. The Padiri (Tamil name) tree is associated with the Padaleeshwarar temple at Tiruppathiripuliyur, Tamil Nadu. It is believed that Goddess Uma reached Tiruppathiripuliyur after worship of 1008 Shiva sthalams. She worshipped Lord Padaleeshwarar installed under a Padiri tree. After years of penance, Lord Shiva appeared and he united with the Goddess under the sacred Padiri tree, which is now the sthalavriksha of the temple.The tree is associated with the Ekapatala, sister of Goddess Uma who took only one Patala leaf for food. Flowering: May-July.

Identification credit: Dinesh Valke Photographed at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.

• Is this flower misidentified? If yes,