Devidas V Kotkar
Forest ghost flower is commonly called Gulabdandi in Marathi and aankuri bankuri in Hindi. Forest ghost flower is native to India and belongs to order scrophulariales and orobanchaceae broom-rape family. It is a gregarious root parasite seen on shaded forest floors during monsoons. Leafless flowers are in one group, red-purple or even white 2 centimetres to 4 centimetres, solitary on a slender erect scape 15 centimetres to 25 centimetres tall. Flowers have a curious shape and the sepal tube is 2 centimetres to 4 centimetres long and is split. From here emerges a tube of rosy pink flowers.
Forest ghost flower is 15 centimetres to 40 (50) centimetres tall. Its root is slightly fleshy with small branches. Its leaves are red, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate and flowers are usually solitary. The flowering for this flower is between April and August and it bears fruit from August to October.
(Writer is a researcher, environmentalist, teacher and writer based in Goa)