Thechi (Ixora Coccinea) -Flowers of Kerala

March 23rd, 2007 | admin

Thechi (Thetti – Ixora coccinea) is a wild variety of shrub that produces colorful flowers. The flowers appear in bunches and with four petals. Color is usually red, but there are also varieties of yellow, purple and exotic combinations of colors.

The flower is called flame of the woods in English and Meetha phool (means sweet flower) in Hindi.

Asoka tree (Saraca Indica) grows as a tree of more than 15” height also produces similar looking flowers. The tree is called Asoka tetti in Malayalam.

The dwarf plant doesnÂ’t grow beyond 12-14 inches and appears as a small insignificant herb. But such dwarf variety produces a berry like fruit, which is edible. The fruits have two to three small seeds. The taste is mild sweet to tasteless.

Ixora coccinea belongs to the family rubiaceae.