Neelakurinji Autor: KUMARESAN.C.S

This photo was taken in 2013 at Idukki,Kerala. Kurinji or Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India. Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms only once in 12 years. The species is known as ನೀಲಕುರಂಜಿ in Kannada, குறிஞ்சி in Tamil, and നീലകുറിഞ്ഞി in Malayalam.