Flowering Talipot trees at Peradeniya

Text and pix. By Harsha Udayakantha Peiris

The two Talipot trees in their full bloom at the Peradeniya Botanical Garden in Kandy, have become a reason to attract more tourists to the garden these days. Both local and foreign tourists interested in seeing these rare Talipot flowers make the Peradeniya Botanical Garden a definite destination.

"It's amazing. I have heard that a Talipot tree does not flower for may be years and when it's like this it is so attractive. I took several pictures so that I can show to others as a great token of my visit to the Botanical Gardens", said a young student from Belgium who visited the Botanical Garden during her mid-term university vacation.

Talipot flower grows out of the top of the tree and starts spreading once the tree reaches its maturity.

Its flowering which occurs in about 40 years once the tree reaches full maturity depletes the tree so much that within a few months the tree collapses.

National Botanical Gardens Director General Dr. D.S.A. Wijesundara said the Talipot tree, botanically known as 'Corypha umbraculiser' is native to Sri Lanka and Malabar and mostly seen only in cultivation at present.

"The Talipot flower is the largest in florescence in the palms and plant kingdom. Once in full bloom the florescence grows to about 20 feet in height bearing more than 15 million flowers," he said.

Dr. Wijesundara said many didn't know that during the British rule, they had named this the national flower of Sri Lanka.

The tree is well-known for its traditional uses. Its tender leaves are used to make ola leaves and the traditional umbrella for certain sects of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka.

The Talipot tree could be cultivated in the wet zone. The white flowers of the Talipot tree ooze nectar, attracting insects and birds.