India GOTrees and flowers of Mumbai
Mumbai's most important tree is one most visitors never notice: the grey mangrove along its creeks, protected as forest and the reason flamingos come to Thane Creek. The ones people do notice are the gulmohar, which turns south Mumbai avenues scarlet in May, and the jarul, Maharashtra's state flower, which opens with the monsoon. The species cards below give the story of each; here is when they flower and where to see them.
Grey mangrove
Mumbai's mangroves are protected as forest by court order, and they are the reason the flamingo flocks have shallow, food-rich mud to feed on at all. The city's wetland and its best-known wildlife spectacle are the same system. This is the mangrove that builds Mumbai's creeks.
Avicennia marina
Gulmohar (flame tree)
The gulmohar flowering in May, just before the rains break, is Mumbai's clearest seasonal marker: whole south-city avenues go scarlet at once.
Delonix regia
African baobab
Baobabs are not native to India. The ones in Mumbai and along the Konkan coast mark centuries of Indian Ocean trade, and their sour fruit pulp is still sold under the name gorakh imli.
Adansonia digitata
Coconut palm
On Narali Purnima, the full moon of Shravan (usually August), Mumbai's Koli fishing families offer coconuts to the sea and pray for calm water as the new fishing season opens.
Cocos nucifera
Banyan
Mumbai's stock market began under a banyan: in the 1850s a handful of brokers traded beneath one in front of the Town Hall, where Horniman Circle now is, two decades before the BSE was founded in 1875.
Ficus benghalensis
Jarul (pride of India)
The state flower of Maharashtra, where it is tamhan; it flowers just as the monsoon arrives, which is how it is remembered locally.
Lagerstroemia speciosa
Frangipani
Frangipani is not native to India: the Portuguese brought it from tropical America.
Plumeria rubra / Plumeria alba
Karvy
Sanjay Gandhi National Park has seen karvy flower en masse in 2000, 2008, 2016 and again in 2024, eight years apart each time.
Strobilanthes callosa
What flowers when
The city's tree calendar follows the monsoon.
- May: gulmohar — Just before the rains break, the flame trees flower all at once and whole avenues in the south of the city go red. It is Mumbai's clearest sign that the monsoon is close. More on the gulmohar.
- June: jarul — Called tamhan in Marathi, the state flower of Maharashtra comes into flower as the monsoon arrives. More on the jarul.
- Once in eight years: karvy — This shrub of the Western Ghats covers the slopes of Sanjay Gandhi National Park with flowers en masse only about every eight years. More on the karvy.
Where to see Mumbai's trees
Five places, from a Victorian garden to a forest inside city limits.
Rani Baug, Byculla
Mumbai's oldest public garden, laid out in 1861 as Victoria Gardens, is a heritage botanical collection with a zoo inside: several thousand mature trees of a few hundred species. Its old banyans and peepals are where to look for the yellow-footed green pigeon, Maharashtra's state bird, which feeds on figs. More on the zoo.
Hanging Gardens and the Malabar Hill trail
At the top of Malabar Hill, the Hanging Gardens of 1881 are terraced over the city's covered reservoir, with hedges clipped into animals; entry is free. Next to them, the Malabar Hill Elevated Nature Trail is Mumbai's first treetop walkway: 705 metres of raised deck at canopy height through the hill's last twelve acres of forest, entered by an inexpensive timed slot booked online.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park
A large national park within city limits, with forest trails, the Kanheri Caves and the karvy slopes. The continuous canopy along its older forest roads is home to the Indian giant squirrel. More on Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Thane Creek mangroves
Forest-department boats from the Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre at Airoli go out through the mangrove channels to the flamingo flats, roughly from October or November to May, on a schedule set by the tide. More on the flamingo sanctuary.
Horniman Circle, Fort
A banyan story rather than a garden: in the 1850s brokers traded under a banyan in front of the Town Hall here, two decades before the Bombay Stock Exchange was founded in 1875. More on the banyan.
Trees that came by sea
Several of Mumbai's best-known trees are not Indian. The baobabs of Mumbai and the Konkan coast mark centuries of Indian Ocean trade, and their sour fruit pulp is still sold as gorakh imli. The frangipani came from tropical America with the Portuguese. The gulmohar is from Madagascar. The coconut palm tells a local story instead: on Narali Purnima, the full moon of Shravan (usually in August), Koli fishing families offer coconuts to the sea as the fishing season opens.
In the monsoon, watch the trees
Old trees and branches fall in Mumbai during heavy monsoon rain and wind, and falls have killed people. Avoid standing under large trees in a storm, and follow warnings from the municipal corporation (BMC) and the India Meteorological Department.
FAQ
How many trees does Mumbai have?
The municipal corporation's 2018 tree census counted about 29.75 lakh (nearly three million) trees within its limits.
Which tree turns Mumbai red in May?
The gulmohar, or flame tree. It flowers just before the monsoon.
What is the state flower of Maharashtra?
The jarul (Lagerstroemia speciosa), called tamhan in Marathi. It flowers as the monsoon arrives.
Where can I see old trees in Mumbai?
Rani Baug in Byculla, laid out in 1861, has several thousand mature trees of a few hundred species; Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Malabar Hill trail have forest.
Are Mumbai's mangroves protected?
Yes. They are protected as forest by court order.
Where are flowers sold in Mumbai?
At Dadar's wholesale flower market (Phool Galli) around the Dadar flyover, from about four in the morning: marigold, rose, jasmine and lotus for temples and weddings.
Sources (3)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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