The Neelakurinji, Strobilanthes kunthiana, is a shrub of the high-altitude shola grasslands of the Western Ghats. It flowers together in vast numbers about once every twelve years, turning entire hillsides blue.
The hills around Munnar, including Eravikulam National Park, are among the best places to see it. The most recent mass blooming was in 2018, when visitors travelled from across India to see the slopes in flower.
The next mass flowering in the Munnar hills is expected around 2030. Because blooming is synchronised across a stand, the display lasts a few weeks and then the shrubs set seed and die back.
- Munnar
- Eravikulam
- Neelakurinji
- Western Ghats
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