📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Aruna Radhakrishnan
Science
Neelakurinji Blooms Again After 12 Years; Next Bloom Expected 2038
✍️ India Today
🗓 08 Sep 2026, 11:47 AM
👁 46
The rare Neelakurinji flower, which blooms once every 12 years, has returned to the Wayanad hills in Kerala. If missed, the next flowering will not occur until 2038.
The Neelakurinji flower has bloomed again after a 12‑year interval, the last bloom having occurred in 2016. The plant, native to the high‑altitude grasslands of Wayanad in Kerala, is a rare species of the genus Strobilanthes.
Known for its striking blue petals, the Neelakurinji attracts visitors from across India and abroad during its brief flowering period. The bloom is a major tourist attraction and a symbol of Kerala’s biodiversity.
Local authorities and scientists closely monitor the event to study the plant’s ecology and to protect the fragile ecosystem. The flowering lasts only a few weeks before the plants return to dormancy.
If the bloom is missed, the next one will not occur until 2038, giving the region a 12‑year window to experience the spectacle again.
Known for its striking blue petals, the Neelakurinji attracts visitors from across India and abroad during its brief flowering period. The bloom is a major tourist attraction and a symbol of Kerala’s biodiversity.
Local authorities and scientists closely monitor the event to study the plant’s ecology and to protect the fragile ecosystem. The flowering lasts only a few weeks before the plants return to dormancy.
If the bloom is missed, the next one will not occur until 2038, giving the region a 12‑year window to experience the spectacle again.