"When I am gone, will the chalta flower no longer be wet with dew, in waves of soft scent?" So wrote Jibanananda Das, poet of Rupashi Bangla, about the chalta flower. Chalta flowers appear in the monsoon and last until winter. Chalta trees were once found by roadsides, on pond banks, in homestead yards and in woods and thickets; today that sight is rare.

The scientific name of chalta is Dillenia indica. It grows in several countries including Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. In English it is known by the name Dillenia indica, and it is regarded in particular as a plant of the Indian subcontinent.

The flowers bloom in Asharh and Shrabon. The fragrant flower has five petals, and the fruit forms from the petals. The flowers are white. Once they open, bees settle on them; as the bees move from flower to flower gathering nectar, they pollinate the chalta, which slowly turns into fruit.

Chalta flowers open at night. They are white, beautiful and fragrant, 15 to 18 centimetres across. Within a day of opening the petals fall and the flower turns into fruit. The fruit, full of many herbal medicinal qualities, ripens after the monsoon and stays on the tree until winter. The tree fruits only once a year, and each fruit weighs 200 to 500 grams.

The fruit can be eaten raw, and chalta pickle is a great favourite with people of all ages. The tree has medicinal properties. It is a medium-sized evergreen that grows up to 15 metres tall, with shiny red bark, leaves with serrated edges and raised parallel veins.

Because we value the tree only for its fruit, such a beautiful flower is largely overlooked, even though it quietly spreads its boundless beauty among the trees around us. That is why suddenly coming across the flower feels almost like a discovery.

The tree has medicinal value, and its flower is very beautiful, fragrant and good for the environment. Chalta is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and so is also good for health. The tree should be planted both for financial self-reliance and to add to natural beauty. This environmentally friendly and endangered tree urgently needs protecting.

By Niamur Rashid Shihab, a student at Daffodil International University.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.