"Karthigaipoo"
or Gloriosa Lily (Botanical name - Liliaceae Glory lily or Gloriosa
superba), which has the spectrum of colors contained in the Tamil Eelam
national flag and which in November, the month of Heroes day celebrations,
ubiquitously spreads, sprouts new shoots and blooms throughout the
NorthEast, has been proclaimed the official national flower of Eelam Tamils.
Reliable sources from Vanni said that the Karthigaipoo was designated as
Tamil Eelam National flower by the LTTE administration during the Great
Heros rememberence week in November 2003.
The administrative officials of NorthEast have requested the residents to
wear the national flower on all occassions of national significance. They
also urge everyone to grow the Karthigai vine in private homes, public
places, business premises, educational institutions and other places in
NorthEast.
The Karthigai flower changes colors and therefore described by two tamil
names: Ven-Karnthal (white), and Chenk-Karnthal (Red). The petals are
reflexed back at the tip and wavy edged. After full bloom the flower will
remain fresh for seven days. Colors of the petals change from inital green
to whitish yellow to yellow, then reddish yellow to scarlet, fading to red.
When the tuber is split, the ones with shoots are called Aan-Karnthal
(male), and ones without are called Penn-Karnathal (female).
The tubers are used in Ayurvedic and Unani practices. The poison,
colchicine, present in the tuber is the primary ingredient in the medicinal
use of the plant. Colchicine is used in Western medicine also but the usage
is different. In ayurvedic system a paste of the tuber is applied for skin
disorders such as warts or blackheads and also for scorpian bites. It is
poisonous if directly ingested.
This flowering vine which blooms in the month of November is found in India,
China, Malayan Peninsula and in parts of Africa besides NorthEast of Sri
Lanka.
Karthigaipoo has several names in Tamil. Because of its flame like
appearance the flower is also called 'Agnisalam.' Because the tuber
resembles a plowshare in appearance it is called 'Kalappai' and also
'Ilaangilee.' Because the tips of the leaves appear curled it is also called
'Thalai-surilee.' Since the leaves curl and grasp to climb it is also called
'Patee.' Because of its curling grasp it is called 'Th-ontri.' In indigenous
medicine it is called 'Ven-thontri.'
Flowers distinctively symbolize nation states. States traditionally declare
flowers, which are inextricably intertwined with their lore, culture and
ethos, as national emblems and honor and protect them just like the
respective nations' flag.
The tradition of flowers representing nations of the world has been in vogue
since Vedic times. Judeo-Christian Old Testament Book "Song of Solomon" says
that lotus and blue water lily represented ancient Egypt.
Flowers play a part not only in the symbolic function of a State but also in
the religious beliefs of the people.
In the United States of America, each State has a flower declared as the
State flower.
Hindus and Buddhists use flowers during worship. According to Islamic legend
florescent white roses lined Mohamed's route to Heaven as a reflection of
happiness. A Tamil poet, Arivumathi, has noted that the flower of ancient
Tamil's War God, Murugan, was Karthigai flower.
In classical Greece the mastwood flower not only was offered to the God
Apollo but also was the flower of choice in honoring the learned. The olive
was not only the tree of the Goddess of Athens but also was used to honor
athletes and warriors who had displayed bravery in the battlefield. Romans
crowned their illustrious generals with wreaths fashioned out of the leaves
and flowers of the scarlet exora.
Ancient Tamil kings each had a favorite flower which he adopted as his own.
For the Chola's it was the ficus glomarata ("Aththipoo"), the Chera's, the
Palmyrah flower, the Pandyas, the Margosa flower, which in each case was the
Kingdom's flower. In "Tamil Civilization and Culture," Thadchinamoorthy
mentions that these kings wore only garlands made of each one's flower on
his way to war. He further mentions that smaller sovereigns also had their
own emblematic flower garlands and that the more valiant of the Tamil
chieftains, Aai Andiran, wore mastwood flower garlands of Karnthal, the
traditional Tamil name for Karthigai.
Dimensions of flower, leaves:
The vine's stem is soft and weak. The tips of the leaves are
long and curly, and grasp adjacent vegetation for support and grow to a
height of 10 to 20 feet. New shoots grow out of tuber in the ground. Tuber
is normally about 6" to 12" long and 1" to 1.5" thick. Each of the tuber's
pit sprouts a new shoot. The leaves have no petioles. The leaves are between
3" and 6" long and 0.75" to 1.75" wide and can be in the form of alternate
rows or rows in opposition. If a node fails to sprout leaves these could
have a circular form.
The flowers are large. They form individually at the point where the petiole
meets the stem or at the end of the branch where because of the cluster of
leaves they appear in inflorescence. The large (6-7 cm Long) six petal
flowers, each of which look like a flame in a dish bloom from September to
January. The pedicel is 3 to 6" long. The petals measure 2.5" long and 0.3"
to 0.5" wide. Filaments are 6", anthers 1.5" to 1.75" and the stigma 0.5"
and can turn in different directions. The ovary has 3 chambers; the stylus
is 2" long and is bent in one direction.
