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Burans (tree rhododendron)
बुरांश (burans)
A gnarled Himalayan tree that covers itself in dense heads of blood-red bells in spring, colouring whole hillsides between about 1,500 and 3,000 metres.
How to recognise it
Thick dark leaves, silvery underneath, and flowers in tight round trusses. Above 2,500 m the flowers are paler, pink to almost white.
Where to see it
Dehradun
The state tree of Uttarakhand. The petals are pressed into a sharp pink juice sold along hill roads in spring, and the flowering is the local marker that winter is over.
Kipling's Trail, Old Rajpur (in season) · Shikhar Falls (in season)
Gangotri
The state tree of Uttarakhand. The petals are pressed into a sharp pink juice sold along hill roads in spring, and the flowering is the local marker that winter is over.
Harsil Valley (in season) · Gangotri National Park (in season)
Mussoorie
The state tree of Uttarakhand. In March and April the slopes below Mussoorie turn red with it, and burans juice is pressed and sold along the hill roads for those few weeks.
Jabarkhet Nature Reserve (in season) · Cloud's End (in season) · Eco Park, Dhanaulti (Amber & Dhara) (in season)
Naggar
In spring the petals are pressed into a sharp pink juice, and the flowering marks the end of winter in the hills.
Chandrakhani Pass (in season) · Jana Waterfall (in season) · Great Himalayan National Park (in season)
Rishikesh
The state tree of Uttarakhand. The petals are pressed into a sharp pink juice sold along hill roads in spring, and the flowering is the local marker that winter is over.
Kunjapuri Mata Temple (in season)