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A tree on fire when it blooms
The Bonfire Tree is a moderate sized tree growing upto about 40 feet. It is branched a lot and twisted. The trunk of the tree is sometimes buttressed. The bark of the tree is smooth, shiny, papery and white. The twigs are dark purplish. The leaves of the tree are palmately lobed and appear crowded at the ends of the branches. They have distinct veins and scattered hairs on the underside. The tree is deciduous and the new leaves appear usually around June.

The tree is best identified by its bright coral red flowers which appear while the tree is leafless. This gives the tree the appearance of a bonfire at a distance, hence the common name. The flowers have a funnel shaped calyx. The flowering season is usually from March to August. However this differs with the area in which the tree grows. In the wet zone the flowers appear earlier in the year in February and March.

The fruits of the Bonfire tree are papery and greenish pink and oval shaped. The seeds are yellow and flattened. The timber of the tree is light and is used to make light boxes. The hollow twigs are used to make whistles. The tree produces a very fine inner fibre which is used to make ropes. The foliage is used as fodder and the tuberous roots are eaten by some animals. By and large the tree is planted for its ornamental value.

The Bonfire tree is known as Bataliya or Pataliyagas in Sinhala. The Veddahs referred to the tree as Kenawila. According to Macmillan the Veddahs used to sing odes to this tree (in Tropical Planting and Gardening). In Tamil the tree is called the Malaiparutti which literally translated means ‘mountain cotton’. The scientific name is Firmiana colorata. It was previously known as Sterculia colorata.

The Bonfire tree is indigenous to Sri Lanka, India and Burma. It thrives in the dry zone particularly on rocky hillsides and outcrops. However it also grows in Sri Lanka’s wet zone. Look out for it in the Peradeniya Gardens and in the IFS-Popham Arboretum, Dambulla.

Compiled by: Ruk Rakaganno.

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