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Madar (crown flower)
आक / मदार (aak / madar)
A tough grey-leaved shrub of wasteland and roadsides with waxy lilac-white star flowers and a milky sap.
👀 How to recognise it
Thick pale leaves that look dusted with flour, and flowers arranged like a small crown. Breaking a stem releases white latex.
Where to see it
Delhi
Aak flowers and leaves are offered to Shiva and to Hanuman, and the plant grows precisely where nothing is cultivated, so it is always within reach of a shrine.
Aravalli Biodiversity Park · Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary (Neeli Jheel) · Sanjay Van (often)
Agra
Aak flowers and leaves are offered to Shiva and to Hanuman, and the plant grows precisely where nothing is cultivated, so it is always within reach of a shrine.
National Chambal Sanctuary · Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary (Keetham Lake)
Haridwar
Aak flowers and leaves are offered to Shiva and to Hanuman, and the plant grows precisely where nothing is cultivated, so it is always within reach of a shrine.
Varanasi
Aak flowers and leaves are offered to Shiva and to Hanuman, and the plant grows precisely where nothing is cultivated, so it is always within reach of a shrine.
Vishwanath Gali