Ashoka in Bloom

India · nature

The dense orange-red clusters of an Ashoka tree in full flower, the soft blue of the sky filtering through behind. A sacred tree doing its annual maximum.

Saraca asoca — the true Ashoka tree — is one of those plants that holds a particular weight in Indian culture. It appears in Buddhist iconography (the Buddha's mother is said to have given birth holding an Ashoka branch), in Sanskrit poetry, and in the courtyards of temples across the subcontinent. The name means 'without sorrow.' Most of the year the tree is unremarkable — a dense, dark-leaved evergreen. Then, for about six weeks, it produces these.

The flowers come in tight clusters along the branches, mostly orange when they open and deepening to red as they age, so a tree in full bloom carries every shade at once. The fragrance is mild but unmistakable — slightly sweet, slightly resinous. I shot this one from underneath, looking up through a gap in the canopy. The dappled blue behind the flowers is the sky filtered through the dark leaves above. Indian gardens often grow trees that perform for a few weeks of the year. The trade is generally worth it.

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