Ashoka (Mast Tree): How to Grow Monoon longifolium in Jaipur
Monoon longifolium
The tall, evergreen "Ashoka" or Mast tree seen along Indian roads. How to plant and care for it in Jaipur, what it offers birds and butterflies, and why it is not the true Ashoka (Saraca asoca).
Which "Ashoka" is this?
When most people in north India say "Ashoka tree", this is the tree they picture. Flowers of India notes that the name Ashok "has stuck in north India", although the "real" Ashok is Sita Ashok. This article is about the tall roadside Mast tree, Monoon longifolium, which most Indian books and nurseries still call Polyalthia longifolia.
Nurseries in north India almost always sell the narrow, weeping, column-shaped form (often labelled var. pendula). The wild form grows into a larger, spreading shade tree. If you want shade, ask the nursery which form it is supplying.
This article was prepared with AI assistance. Please check important details against the sources shown in each section.
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