About Firmiana colorata (Roxb.) R.Br.
Firmiana colorata, commonly called scarlet sterculia, is also known by other common names including bonfire tree, coloured sterculia, and Indian almond. It is referred to as ওদাল (odal) in Assamese and कौशी [kaushi] in Marathi. This is a medium-sized tree with spreading branches. It sheds all of its leaves before flowering begins. After leaf shedding, new buds sprout and then develop into flowers. The tree flowers between March and April. Flowers grow in short, dense panicles located at the ends of branches. The flowers are orange-red and hang downwards. Both flowering stalks and flowers are covered with fine downy hairs, which gives the entire inflorescence a soft, velvety appearance. During the flowering period, scarlet sterculia is quite noticeable, and creates a striking display: its bright orange-red flowers stand out against its fully leafless structure. The flowers are large, measuring 30 millimetres (1.2 inches) in length. The flower tube is 13 millimetres (0.51 inches) long; it is tubular at the base and lobed at the tip. The rim of the flower tube is surrounded by soft white hair. The corolla appears to be united internally with the tubular sepals at the base. A staminal column protrudes from the center of the calyx tube, and it bears 30 anthers at its top. Scarlet sterculia is common in forests of the Western Ghats and the Deccan region of the Indian subcontinent.
