Flame of the forest puts on a rare yellow face in Mangar’s Aravalis: Morph Palash tree becomes a point of scientific interest

Gurgaon: Against the backdrop of Mangar's verdant landscape, a botanical anomaly has captured the imagination of scientists and nature enthusiasts. A palash tree — typically known for its brilliant crimson blossoms that justifies its ‘flame of the forest' moniker — has produced yellow flowers, the result of an uncommon mutation that makes it a subject of keen scientific interest.
Ecologist Sunil Harsana said on Monday this was probably the first such occurrence in the Aravalis of Gurgaon and Faridabad. "Discovering a yellow palash is akin to finding a concealed treasure. Unlike the prevalent red flowers, this variant contributes a distinctive chromatic element to our forests, underscoring the remarkable biodiversity within our ecosystem. This is rare," he told TOI.

The yellow-flowered variant, scientifically classified as Butea monosperma var. Lutea, represents a genetic deviation from its crimson counterpart.
Professor CR Babu from Delhi University's Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystem explained the genetics behind this phenomenon. "The colour of flowers depends on a pair of genes located in a single locus, which has two alleles. When the locus is homozygous, we get uniform flowers. But if one allele is mutated, the flowers can be of different colours. In Butea, red is the dominant colour, but yellow is very rare. This phenomenon is called a morph," he added.

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, this mutation could have an evolutionary significance as well. "Apart from the colour, there is no major difference in the two varieties of trees. But over a period of time, and with evolution, the yellow variant can become a separate species altogether. This could essentially happen if the morph attains different characteristics like larger leaves, bigger flowers and others," Prof Babu said.

This rare mutation — occurring in perhaps one in thousands of trees — has added a dimension of curiosity to the typical crimson canvas visitors, prompting conservationists to emphasise the importance of protecting these delicate specimens.

Vijay Dhasmana, curator of the Aravali Biodiversity Park, saw in the phenomenon an evidence of the Aravalis' rich biodiversity potential. "The Aravalis continue to surprise us with its hidden treasures," he noted, expressing hope that the proposed Aravali green wall project would help preserve such unique ecological features.