Simli tree (after which Simlipal national park is named) is also known as semal and red silk cotton tree. Its alternative names are the Malabar silk-cotton tree and the red cotton tree. The young simli tree has a spiny bark that keeps animals at bay and protects the trunk and branches. These conical spines erode as the tree grows and the bark hardens.
Photographed at Flame of the Forest, Kanha, in October, 2021.













