Common Name: Sita Ashok, Sorrow-less tree. Tamil Name: Ashogam
Sita Ashok is an evergreen tree with a round crown and grows to a height of about 10 meters. The genus Saraca (under Fabaceae) features trees with even pinnate leaves, petaloid (looking like petals) calyx; flowers with not petals and the stamens that project out of the tubular flower. These trees are mostly of India and South East Asian origin. The leaves of Sita Ashok are compound and paripinnate and margins are entire and young leaves are reddish in color. The leaves are arranged in an alternate manner and the leaflets are arranged in an opposite manner. The leaves are near sessile; the leaf length measure around 20 cm. The leaves are elliptic-oblong in shape, base and apex is acute. The flowers are in the form of clustered corymbs; flower measures around 3 cm in length; the calyx is petaloid. The flowers are orange/scarlet in color and tubular in shape; but have no petals. The flower has six stamen, they project out of the flower tube. The pistil is curved and measurer around 1.9 cm in length. The fruit is in the form of a green pod which turns dark in color as it matures. The pod is nearly 10 cm in length and is oblong in shape and beaked at both ends. The pod encloses 1-2 seeds. Sita Ashok is a sacred tree in India. This tree is uncommon in Coimbatore area. Sita Ashok is a shade tree suitable for planting in gardens and open areas. Sita Ashok tree is the larval host plant Ciliate blue, Common imperial, Plains cupid, Dark cerulean, Common cerulean and State flash butterflies (source www.ifoundbutterflies.org)
