This story is from October 23, 2018

Chikkamagaluru misses neelakurinji bloom; foresters still hopeful

Chikkamagaluru misses neelakurinji bloom; foresters still hopeful
Neelakurinji
BENGALURU: Tourists scouring the hills of Chikkamagaluru for blue and purple carpets of neelakurinji are returning disappointed. The flowers, which bloom once in 12 years, seem to have skipped the cycle this time.
Even as researchers have begun a study to check the deviation in pattern, foresters are hopeful that the district will witness the bloom in coming months or in a year or two.

Kumar HR, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Chikkamagaluru, told TOI the last time the district saw neelakurinji flowers in full bloom was in 2006. “Ideally, these flowers, endemic to Western Ghats, bloom once in 12-14 years. In Chikkamagaluru, the bloom happens mainly on the hilly stretches of Mullayanagiri and Seethalayanagiri and lot of tourists come to witness it. This time the bloom is scanty and there is no good growth,” he added.
Meanwhile, the kurinji flowers are keeping their date with other stretches of Western Ghats like in Munnar, Kerala and Kodagu, Karnataka.
Nehru KA, range forest officer with the Madikeri division, said the hillocks in Madikeri, Somwarpet, Bhagamandala and Sampaje have been seeing neelakurinji flowers in full bloom for two months now. “However, due to rain havoc and landslides, there are very few tourists coming to Kodagu,” he added.
Asked about neelakurinji missing its date with Chikkamagaluru, Kumar said: “The bloom need not be as routine as we think. It may happen in the coming months or next two years as the cycle varies between 12 to 14 years.”

An environmentalist and botanist from Chikkamagaluru said excess rain this year might have affected the bloom. “The flowering hasn’t taken place properly. Plants look dull. However, the exact reason has to be researched,” he added.
Called gurgi in Kannada, Strobilanthes kunthianus is the botanical name of neelakurinji. It is a shrub species found in the shola forests of Western Ghats. Some kurinji flowers even bloom once in seven to eight years. It is said that the honey extracted during the kurinji bloom is tastier than the other seasons.
Social media messages irk foresters
Kumar said fake messages are being circulated in social media about the neelakurinji bloom in Chikkamagaluru, following which tourists are flocking to the hillocks around. “We want to confirm that there has been no bloom so far. Public should not believe fake messages,” he added.
Sources in the department said some resort and hotel owners in the area are spreading messages on kurinji bloom to draw customers.
‘A different species’
Environmentalist DV Girish, who is also the trustee of Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, has another argument. “The neelakurinji in Chikkamagaluru is of a different species and according to our documentation the bloom was witnessed in 1992 and again in 2006. So, there is a gap of 14 years. As per our estimation, the next cycle will be in 2019 or 2020. Also, during the bloom, the plants which are generally about 10 inches tall grow up to 2ft. This is not the case this year. So, we have to wait for another year or two,” he added.
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