India GO
Flower · Senecio bombayensis
Sonki
सोनकी (sonki)
IUCN LC · Least concern
A tall daisy that turns laterite plateaus and roadside banks bright yellow as the monsoon eases, in the same weeks as Ganesh Chaturthi.
👀 How to recognise it
Loose sprays of small yellow daisy flowers on thin stems, waist-high, covering open ground rather than growing under trees.
Where to see it
Goa
Sonki is picked for Ganesh Chaturthi in Goa and the Konkan, where the flowers are associated with Parvati; the bloom and the festival fall together, which is why the plant is so recognisable locally.
Chorla Ghat (in season) · Budbudyanchi Tali (Bubbling Lake), Netravali (in season) · Arvalem Waterfall & Rudreshwar Caves (in season)