GLIMPSE OF SOME SPECIES THAT FLOWER AT DIFFERENT PERIODS:
The dry season ends in April with the ‘blossom’ showers called Aihhn Maw in TODA. The landscape slowly begins to awaken from its slumber under the hoar frosts. Flowers of a creeping wild rose Rosa leschenaultiana, are prominent all over the upper plateau.
IN THE SHOLAS (SHOLA TREES)
In the prominent shola thickets during the dry summer months is Ligustrum perottettii var neilgherrense ; its scented white flowers often cover the tree, giving it a striking appearance from afar.
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa that bloom at this time attract bees that give way for the collection of honey. The honey season is then followed by the wild fruit season. To help them gather honey, the TODAS not only know when different species flower, the kind of honey produced but also the insects and bees that pollinate them.
ETHNOBOTANICAL:
The two groups of flowering species- one representing the wet monsoon season and the other the dry winter phase. The former is represented by the wild Balsam, (called as “nawtty” in TODA) of the genus Impatiens and the latter is represented by the spectacular Rhododendron.
The divine Mother of Pondicherry described Balsam as the giver of profuse psychic generosity.
BOTANICAL INDICATORS- MONSOON, AGE, AND OTHER INTERESTNG USES:
1) Gentiana pedicellata (arkilpoof), a herb that grows on the grasslands and carpets it and makes it difficult to walk without treading on these delicate blooms. The TODA name (arkilpoof) literally means ‘the worry flower’ and the flower indicates the anxiety level of humans. It is believed that if a person with worries plucks this plant and holds it in hand without touching the flower, the flower closes. It is very sensitive and closes faster if the degree of anxiety is pronounced.
2) Calanthe triplicata (taihhne(r)sh), a terrestrial orchid which means ‘honey leaves’; people traditionally used its large perennial leaves to make a vessel to hold honey in emergencies.
3) Drosera peltata- This plant of the insectivorous is an indicator of early monsoon period with delicate white flowers.
4) By mid- July the monsoon is at its peak and the principal indicator species is the, Anemone rivularis (kwaadr kol poof) or literally ‘monsoon season flower’ grows in the grassland.
5) During the final phase of monsoon in August no plant is visible and attractive than the spectacular Nilgiri Lily (Lilium neilgherrense). The TODAs have named it ‘pehnapoof’.
6) By September the monsoon comes to an end and the sacred maw(r)sh trees (Michelia Nilagirica) had started flowering in masses in the sholas.
7) Satyrium nepalense (ezhtkwehhdr) is a terrestrial orchid whose powered bulbs are eaten as outstanding energizers- a sort of TODA ginseng. The TODA name means ‘bullock horns’ which is what these flowers resemble when plucked individually.
8) By early October, northwest monsoon begins; the weather is peculiar with fragmented rain giving way to clear sky meaning Kaashtk. An exquisite flower called Exacum bicolor (kaashtk) flowers in mass and according to TODAs a star with the same name is visible in the night sky.
9) Todas have 28 such star-weather-plant that represents different phases of the year and the genus of Impatiens.
10) Small herbs called Swertia are spread all over the grassland.
11) Crimson blooms of Rhododendron arboretum subsp, nilagiricum herald the onset of the dry winter months and brighten a landscape otherwise parched brown by the hoar frost.
12) The TODAs use them in different aspects of their lives including in some rituals like the pregnancy ceremony. A flower of the grassland that appears to withstand the frost is Micromeria biflora or the Nilgiri lemon thyme, used traditionally as a herb and in buffalo cross-fostering practices.
13) Strobilanthes species- The TODAs have a good knowledge of the flowering cycles and the medicinal qualities of the honey the species yield. This was also used to denote a man’s age and wisdom- a man knew that he was 36 years old if he had witnessed the flowering of the 18- year cyclic species twice.
14) Six o’ clock flower (Oenothera tetraptera) – This is a prominent example of the flower that blooms at exactly 6 o’clock in the evening whatever be the weather.
15) Litsea wightiana- The plant used routinely by the TODAs in their rituals are those of this species. The thin branches of these are dried and used to make fire by friction. Fire cannot be made by any other means at ceremonies.
16) Avulashky- literally means ‘puffed rice’. It belongs to the Oldenlandia species and indeed its buds resemble closely with the grains of puffed rice. This flower also helps in indicating the onset of south-west monsoon.
17) The most important use of wild flowers to the TODAs is to indicate the kind of home in their vicinity. They have identified certain pollinating bees that favour certain wild flowers and can hence predict the flavor, consistency and medicinal properties of the honey in the particular area.
18) Flowers also indicate when certain bulbs with medicinal effects can be consumed.
19) Flowering cycles of Strobilanthes, “katt” in TODA indicate a man’s age and wisdom.
The next question that might arise in all your minds is: What led to the evolution of this distinct species?
Answer: Long periods of isolation due to increasing drought conditions over the Indian sub-continent led to the evolution of distinct, endemic species, which survived in the montane forests and grassland refuges of the Western Ghats. Some of the Nilgiri endemic Impatiens species- such as I. munronii and I. jerdoniae- are directly related to African species and can be linked to a common ancestor from an unknown plant family in ancient Gondwanaland.
Sadly many of these remain undocumented since British Times.
Reasons for shrinkage of the species: As the surrounding areas are getting dry, the habitat of the endangered Impatiens has begun to shrink. Similarly, alteration of habitat from grassland to tea and exotic tree plantation has pushed many of these species to the brink.
Gayathri Swaminathan [Cherry cherry strawberry]
