Puducherry – Cannonball Tree Flower
Common Name: Cannon Ball Tree
Local Name: Nagalingam (Tamil, Malayalam), Bili (Gujrati), Shivalingi (Hindi)
Botanical Name: Couroupita guianensis
Description: A deciduous tree that can reach a height of 15 meters. Its leaves are oblong-obovate, alternating, somewhat serrated, and hairy along the veins underneath. big, showy, fragrant pink and dark-red flowers with six big petals. Large, globose, woody fruits produced directly on the main branches and trunk resemble large, clustered rusty cannonballs. Because they reflect ultraviolet light, the vibrant petals, yellow-colored stamen apices, and white-colored hood all attract pollinators.
Economic Importance: Gardens cultivate the Cannon Ball Tree as an ornamental tree. It is recognized that almost every portion of the plant has some sort of medicinal use. Hindus in India regard the tree as sacred. The name “Nagalingam” comes from a ring of stamens grouped into a hood-like structure at the center of the flower that resembles a serpent’s head over a Shiva lingam.