Saraca Indica - Ashoka Tree - Erotic Love Flower

The Ashoka Tree, Saraca Indica, originated from the Indian sub continent but is now widely grown in Thailand and S.E.Asia. In mythology, Kama, the Hindu God of erotic love, used the Ashoka flower on one of his five arrows which he used to incite desire and passion. It is easy to see why Kama chose the flowers of Saraca Indica for his arrows of love. Saraca Indica produces large bunches of glorious orange red flowers of outstanding beauty.

In Hinduism, Saraca Indica is a Sacred Tree that is worshipped during the first month of the Hindu Calendar. The Ashoka tree is also significant in Buddhism as it is believed by some that the Lord Buddha was born under one of these trees, although today this is disputed by scholars who refute this, claiming there was a linguistic error in translation and that the tree under which the Lord Buddha was born is the Sala Tree.

Saraca Indica is an evergreen tree, small and erect, with very attractive foliage. The Ashoka tree flowers December – April. Known by several different names in Indian love poetry, in Thailand, the Ashoka Tree is called “Sokanam – โสกนำ ”