Ashoka Tree (Saraca asoca): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It
Saraca asoca
The true Ashoka or Sita Ashok (Saraca asoca) is the sacred, orange-flowered tree of the Ramayana, not the tall roadside Mast tree. How to recognise it, its scientific and Hindi names, where it grows in India, how and when to plant it, and the shade and water it needs.
Overview
The Ashoka or Sita Ashok (Hindi: अशोक, सीता अशोक; Saraca asoca) is a small evergreen tree that grows wild in the warm, moist forests of India and is planted near temples and in gardens across the country. It is the sacred Ashoka of the Ramayana, with fragrant clusters of orange-to-crimson flowers and soft, copper-red new leaves that hang down like tassels.
Do not mix it up with the tall, narrow "Ashoka" that lines roads in north India. That is the Mast tree (Monoon longifolium), a different tree from a different family. Flowers of India explains the name Ashok as "without grief".
The true Ashoka is not an easy tree for dry places. It wants moist soil, steady water and some shade while young, so in hot, dry regions it does well only in a sheltered, watered spot.
Photo: "Saraca asoca- ashoka tree-flowers at Mangalore 03" by Vijayanrajapuram, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Saraca asoca (Roxb.) W.J.de Wilde (Kew's World Checklist); older books also use Saraca indica or Jonesia asoca |
| Family | Fabaceae (pea family); older books list it under Caesalpiniaceae |
| Hindi name | अशोक (Ashok), सीता अशोक (Sita Ashok), also असोक (Asok) |
| English names | Ashoka tree, Sita Ashok, true Ashoka |
| Also called | Ashokam (Malayalam, Tamil), Asokamu (Telugu), Anganapriya (Odia), Jasundi (Marathi) (Flowers of India, eFlora of India); often spelt ashok, ashoka or asoka |
| Not to be confused with | The tall roadside "Ashoka", which is the Mast tree (Monoon longifolium) |
| Mature height | Up to about 9 m (eFlora of India); roughly up to 10 m in Useful Tropical Plants |
| Years to flower | Starts flowering roughly 3–4 years after planting and flowers well from about 6–7 years (ICAR-DMAPR study, 2016) |
| Flowers | Fragrant, orange turning crimson; mainly late winter to spring, roughly February–April in many places, but timing varies by region |
| Water need | High: moist soil, with frequent watering for young plants in dry months (Vikaspedia) |
| Light | Partial shade, especially while young (Vikaspedia) |
| Planting season | With the monsoon, mostly June–August; months are a guide, see Planting calendar |
| Grows well in | Warm, moist regions: the west coast, the wetter south, the east and the north-east; with care in the northern plains and central India; in the dry north-west only in a sheltered, irrigated spot |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN Red List global assessment, 1998); the IUCN has since reassessed it, so check the Red List for its current category |
Sources: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants via GBIF: Saraca asoca (Roxb.) W.J.de Wilde, accepted name, synonyms and native distribution; GBIF species API: IUCN Red List category for Saraca asoca (NEAR_THREATENED, iucnTaxonID 34623); Wikidata Q757356: IUCN Red List status by Red List version (2022.2 Vulnerable; 2025.2 Near Threatened); Flowers of India: Sita Ashok (Saraca asoca)
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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