Palash

Butea monosperma is a small, slow-growing, dry-season deciduous tree up to 15 metres tall, native to tropical and sub-tropical South and South-East Asia. It is known as flame of the forest, Bengal kino, dhak, palash and bastard teak, and the page says Hindus revere it as sacred. The flowers have five petals, two wings and a keel like a parrot's curled beak, which gave the name parrot tree. The plant yields timber, resin, fodder and dye. Spoons and ladles of its wood are used in Hindu rituals to pour ghee into the fire. According to legend the tree sprang from a falcon's feather infused with soma, and the Vayupurana says it began on the right side of Yama's body. The page says it is said to be a form of Agni, and in Telangana the flowers are used to worship Shiva at Shivaratri. The seed oil and flower sap are considered poisonous.