Little Tree Plant is known for its interesting characteristic similar to the
of
Touch-Me-Not. It is an annual herb which
looks like a miniature palm, with unbranched stems up to 30 cm in height
but usually shorter. The leaves are pinnately compound, numerous, crowded
at the apex of the stem, and 5-12 cm long, with 8-14 pairs of leaflets. The
leaflets gradually increases in size upward, being 1.5 centimeters long or
less, oblong to oblong-ovate, and often somewhat curved. The leaflets close
when touched. The flowers are many, and crowded at the apices of the
numerous peduncles. The sepals are lanceolate, striate, and about 7 mm
long. The 5 rounded petals are yellow with red markings. The fruit is a
capsule which is shorter than the persistent calyx. During the festival of
Onam in Kerala, intricate and colourful arrangements of flowers laid on the
floor, called
Pookalam are made. The flowers of
mukkutti form an
essential part of a
Pookalam.
Flowering: August-January.