Franky Gracias
On August 27, 2022, plant lover Asavari Kulkarni's (see inset pic) eyes could not believe what they saw. The Karvi shrub she planted in 2015 in the last flowering cycle had come alive at a mining site in Velguem, Surla.
Kulkarni brought the 15 Karvi shrubs from Shigao village in 2015 and planted them in Velguem, Surla, on the mining site. The shrubs she brought were germinated ones.
Karvi blooms are rock-hardy plants which do not require much care. They flower from mid-September to October in a very short blooming period, just before Ganesh Chaturthi.
Karvi is botanically known as carvia callosa or strobilanthes callosa and is related to the abolim family. The purple colour flowers are a sight to behold.
Karvi plants are very commonly seen in the Western Ghats. In all the higher altitude areas of Goa, one can find Karvi plants.
Asavari was surprised to see the plant grow in the lower reaches and that too on a mining site, which is surprising.
The Karvi flowers adorn the hairdo of a village woman. In summer, the Karvi plant sheds all its leaves. It flowers once in eight years and dies after fruiting.
Wherever present, Karvi plants cover understory of a forest and are important habitats for lesser-known fauna like snakes, snails and butterflies.