00:00These flowers bloom only once every 12 years and if you accidentally pluck them, you could be fined a whopping
00:0725,000 rupees.
00:10Yes, I am talking about the Neela Kuringi flowers.
00:14Neela Kuringi is a very rare and beautiful wildflower that grows mainly in the western ghats of southern India.
00:21If we travel down south to the Nilgiri mountains, we discover why they are called the Blue Mountains.
00:27Neela means blue and Giri means mountain.
00:31The name of these mountains is intimately connected to the Neela Kuringi flowers.
00:36When these flowers bloom once every 12 years, they cover the entire mountains with a breathtaking blue carpet.
00:43Proper records of these flowers have been maintained since 1838 and since then they have bloomed repeatedly in their remarkable
00:5012-year cycle.
00:51Their botanical cycle is so fascinating that some tribal communities have traditionally used the blooming of these flowers as a
00:59way of counting age.
01:00For example, if someone has witnessed the Neela Kuringi bloom 5 times, that represents roughly 60 years.
01:07For many species of Neela Kuringi, flowering marks the final stage of the plant's life.
01:12After producing and releasing seeds, the plants dry up and die.
01:16And before they disappear, one last amazing natural phenomenon takes place.
01:21The nectar from these blue flowers is collected by forest trees, producing a rare honey known as Kuringi honey.
01:28Because it is tied to the flower's rare blooming cycle, this honey is extremely difficult to find in the market.
01:34It is traditionally regarded as special and medicinal and can remain preserved for years without spoiling.
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