I came across Palam for the first time in the garden of the Botany Department at Dhaka University.

After quite a few years, I saw a good number of these trees in the hillocks of Sylhet. They were in full bloom, and I was reassured that the species is not extinct.

However, this species is under threat of extinction, as locals don't consider it of any value.

Palam grows in hilly regions, and is indigenous in Sylhet and Chittagong of Bangladesh.

 In Dhaka city, there are two Palam trees -- one in Shishu Academy and the other in Ramna nursery -- planted by Prof Dwijen Sharma. The saplings were collected from the Patharia hills of Moulvibazar.

Palam (Wrightia Coccinea) is a deciduous tree of medium height, which generally varies from seven to 13 metres. The wood is whitish and smooth. The leaves with pointed ending are seven to 13 cm and hang in twos in a long stem upside down. The stalks are very short. There are a few flowers at the end of the branches.

Five stamens make a conical pendulum together and stick to corona at the mouth of a branch. The fruits are 20 to 25 cm long and come in pairs with thick strong coating and white spots.

The trees are in bloom with new leaves towards the end of spring and early summer (March-April).

The flower, locally known as Palan, lasts almost throughout summer, and varies widely in terms of size and colour. The tree relies on wind dispersal of seeds with cottony attachment.

The writer is a botanist.