- Neelakurinji is a tropical plant species.
- It is native to Shola forests in Western Ghats.
- It is also seen in Shevroys Hills in Eastern Ghats, Anamalai hills and Agali hills in Kerala and Sanduru hills in Karnataka.
- It grows at height of 30 to 60 cm on hills slopes at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters where there is no tree forest.
- The flowers of Neelakurinji are purple-blue in colour and blooms once in 12 years.
- The flower has no smell or any medicinal value.
- It is because of these flowers, Nilgiri hills in southern tip of Western Ghats are called blue mountains.
- It is rarest of rare plant species that grows in Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world.
- It has been categorized as endangered species.
- In ancient Tamil literature, kurinji flowers symbolize love.
- Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu use this flower bloom as reference to calculate their age.
